Honey Glazed Chocolate Almond Pressure Cooker Cake (Eggless)

Ingredients needed are -
Maida/Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Hot water - 3/4  cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
Vanilla Essence - 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1-2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
A few tsp of honey for a glaze
A handful of nuts Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Raisins (I had lots of almonds so i used them up)
Pressure cooker - A vessel to pour the batter & another vessel/plate to keep below so that that the cake does not touch the bottom of the cooker.
1. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla essence in a large bowl & add hot water, mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Sift the maida, cocoa powder & baking powder into the bowl.
3. Grease a vessel well with ghee & keep it ready.
4. Add the lemon juice to the batter & shift to the greased vessel immediately.
5. In the meantime, heat the pressure cooker for 5 minutes in medium flame.
6. After the cooker is hot, place a plate or a vessel & then place the vessel with the batter on top & close the lid. (Do not put the whistle)
7. Bake the cake in medium heat for the first 5 minutes & the next 30-35 minutes on low flame (Mine was exactly 30 minutes)
8. Remove & let it cool for 15 minutes.
9. Gently scrape the sides of the vessel to loosen up the cake & flip.
10. Now pour the honey on top of the warm cake and allow the cake to absorb it for a few mins.
11. Let it cool down, cut into slices & enjoy.

Mum's Traditional Mysore Pakk

1. Take 1 cup - Besan (sieved), 2.5 Cups - Sugar, and 2.5 - Cups Ghee
2. Take a kadai, add 1/4th cup of water in kadai and add sugar for the sugar syrup. wait till the syrup becomes sticky
3. Add besan and mix constantly; add the hot ghee little by little and stir constantly.
4. Wait for the Besan to bubble and immediately remove and place on a buttered plate.
5. Carefully cut out squares when the mixture is hot.
5. Wait to harden and serve.

Broccoli, Baby corn, Mushrooms and other vegetables in a sesame seed medley

 1. Chop up - tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, garlic, ginger and green chillies
2. Make a coarse mixture of the sesame seeds (by dry roasting them and making into a coarse powder)

 3. Boil your broccoli for exactly 2 minutes, and saute your mushrooms separately.
4. Add oil, cumin and mustard seeds and wait till they splutter, and then add the onion, chillies and garlic and saute till soft then add all other vegetables along with spices such as cumin, coriander powder, salt, chilly powder, asafoetida and sesame powder. Put the lid on and wait for everything to cook,

5. Mix well and serve.

It’s not that late!

When I was a child and we lived in a thriving colony in Delhi, our 65 year old neighbor was a constant mystery to the entire colony. Today, I pity Mr. Amit Batra, as our colony was filled with the conservatives, the gossip mongers, and the snoopies. So he never did stand a chance against their curiosity. He lived in a two bedroom flat and was always seen to leave the house meticulously in the morning and return late in the evening, he pretty much kept to himself and seemed like he had no friends. Many neighbors tried to gather more information about him, but to no avail. They were severely disappointed when there was no juicy gossip to talk about regarding Mr. Batra. A few months passed, and enough was enough, the neighbors simply could not control themselves. Soon another elderly neighbor was directed to go and break the ice. After the question session, there was a lot of discussion in the colony where it was said that Mr. Batra had no family as they had passed away and he was all alone in the world. People were disappointed as they had been looking for an exciting story. However, as luck would have it, something interesting did come up with Mr. Batra.

A few months later, Mr. Batra was seen getting out of a car and being dropped at home by a younger lady. They were often found in coffee shops sipping on tea, sometimes shopping, and sometimes walking in the parks, oblivious to the whole world. As this went on for a few months, people were pretty speculative. Many spoke ill behind him and some even openly showed their disrespect. The young often giggled behind Mr. Batra and made lewd jokes and the elders frowned upon his behavior. He soon became an outcast in the colony and people began to avoid him. Soon we came to know that the much condemned Mr. Batra was actually a writer and he had even published a book titled “It’s never too late”. Some neighbors bought the book out of sheer curiosity, and once they began reading they couldn’t put down the book till they had read the last page. Chores, meals, and other important activities had pretty much come to a stand still and the buzz word was Mr. Batra and his book. As the news about the amazing book spread like wild fire, we came to know that the book was about Mr. Batra and his own life. It was about how he had lost his wife 22 years ago in a car accident and how he had promised never to love again. The book also spoke about the mysterious woman. She was 19 years younger than him, she was healthier, faster, smarter and much more attractive, but he went on and spoke about how love has no boundaries. He wrote that “I truly believed that love only happens once and I loved my wife with all my heart, I often thought that I am too old to fall in love. I know that the society thinks I have gone mad and they think that I am wrong to fall in love again”. He also mentioned how the society was a huge reason why he wanted to write about the fact that he has found love again. Once my neighbors read this, they realized how hasty and unnecessary their actions were. They gave Mr. Batra his due respect, space and also continued to give him many comical ideas for new books with their exuberant behavior.

50 fun facts about me

Get to know me better by reading these 50 facts about me:

1.       I am a Piscean

2.       I am a hopeful romantic

3.       I have a weakness for chocochip cookies

4.       My mentor is Michael Jackson (I cried the day he died and never realized the impact he had on me till I heard the news)

5.       I have a love/hate relationship with horror movies

6.       I am a sucker for romantic comedies (no surprise there)

7.       Cooking relaxes me

8.       I am most peaceful and relaxed when painting/drawing/crafting

9.       I am addicted to the internet

10.   I really love my blog

11.   I love love love pink

12.   I love learning new things all the time

13.   I have a hello kitty fetish

14.   I am an avid day dreamer

15.   I am my most indecisive when shopping

16.   Balloons make me happy

17.   I love hills and mountains and everything about them  

18.   I get travel sick in cars and planes

19.   I spent my happiest 3 years in Sikkim (I was 4)

20.   I love love love dogs

21.   My first dog was a snow white Lhasa Apso named “Dennis”

22.   My first friend was my dog

23.   I was pretty obsessed with my sister when I grew up

24.   I am a mommy’s girl

25.   I am crazy about my nephews

26.   I will never wear/buy/ use leather

27.   I am an eggitarian and I’m trying to give up eggs

28.   I dream of being a vegan one day

29.   I am my happiest when around animals (p.s I love crocs and snakes)

30.   I am a cry baby

31.   I cannot express how much I hate Math

32.   I was bullied in high school

33.   I don’t follow politics and the news

34.   I love getting wet in the rain

35.   I have a very strong and vivid imagination

36.   I am a combination of an introvert and extrovert

37.   People who know me well know that I am different and not weird

38.   I hate confrontation

39.   I am waiting for Daniel Craig to fall in love with me

40.   I believe that the best is yet to come

41.   I believe a pani poori a day can keep the gloomies away

42.   I have a long scar on my right wrist that I acquired recently

43.   I wanted to be a bus conductor, fashion designer, veterinarian, farmer and FBI agent as a kid

44.   I love my job (I am a writer)

45.   My favorite god is lord Shiva

46.   My favorite character from F.R.I.E.N.D.S is “Ross Geller”

47.   My favorite festival is diwali

48.   I believe contact lenses have changed the way I look at life

49.   My heart beats faster when I see the word “SALE”

50.   I love theme parks