Avial

Looking at the bright side of a pandemic, the benefits are many and great. Limiting travel gave a break to the environment, sky, air & our lungs. On the social side, the virus gave us an opportunity to reconnect with family & home. I am meditating both morning and evening & have started watching both sunrise & sunset, this helps me to compose myself.
Health wise, the virus reminded us again of the importance of health, personal hygiene, sterilisation, disinfectants and healthy eating.

Having said that, It's been almost 2 weeks since I've stepped out. I usually buy veggies every week. This time around since we knew there could be possible lockdown, I did buy a little extra but I've managed to exhaust all of them.

There was this last carrot, a couple of beans & some more of the last ones. These were not enough for anything & as I was raiding the fridge for every vegetable I could lay my hands on, My dear friend from Qatar called & I was complaining to her as to how I had no idea of what to cook, the malayalee in her was quick to say, you always have enough to make a Aviyal. That's so true you always have enough veggies to make a Avial, anything and everything can go into this dish.

Aviyal is a traditional Kerala dish of mixed vegetables, An important component of the Onam Sadya. I am not very sure about what all veggies go into the traditional recipe. Here in this recipe, I've used the veggies that was available at home. (No rules recipe :))

Ingredients 

Assorted veggies - Cut lengthwise (I used Carrot/Beans/Potato/Raw Plantain) - 3 Cups
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 11/2 Cup

Grind
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chilly - 3 to 4 (Depends on how spicy you like it)
Jeera - 1 tsp
Water - 2 Tsp

Plain Yogurt (whisked) - 1/4 Cup
Coconut oil - 2 tsp (Any oil of your choice)
Salt
Curry leaves

Cooking Method 

Grind all ingredients from pepper powder, coconut, chilly, jeera & water into a thick paste.
Cook the veggies with turmeric powder, water (1.5 cups) and salt, The veggies should have a crunch & not get mushy
Add the coconut paste.  Cover and cook till the raw taste of coconut paste is gone.
Add yogurt and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes more & finally add the coconut oil and curry leaves.

Note : 
- I have made it watery as this was the only dish I made for the day, Ideally this is more of a    accompaniment/side dish which is thick in consistency.
- Yoghurt is optional, you can alternatively add 1 tsp tamarind or lemon juice

Eggless Caramel Cake

We have been on a no-sugar diet for over 2 years now, so I have not baked a cake for long,  But staying at home means we feel like indulging once in a while to keep the spirits high. Salted caramel is my favourite flavour in ice creams, I have tried many caramel cake recipes, but this one is the best as its easy, quick & yummilicious.

This eggless caramel cake uses curd and milk as a substitute for egg and turns out soft, moist and absolutely delicious.

Makes 1- 8″ cake

Ingredients

Soft Butter - 1/3 cup
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Plain Yoghurt - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour -1 1/4 cups
Baking Powder -1 tsp
Baking Soda -1/2 tsp
Salt -1/2 tsp
Caramel Syrup - 1/4 cup - see below

Baking method

In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add milk, curd & caramel syrup, beat until incorporated. The batter will look curdled, but that's okay.

Mix together  all the dry ingredients  - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the batter in to greased, lined and dusted pans.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.


Caramel Syrup

Ingredients
Dark Brown Sugar-2 cups
Water-1 /2 cup + 1 cup

Procedure
In a heavy bottom pan, add 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Let it boil

The syrup will start bubbling after the boiling stage, at this stage the colour of the syrup will change to darker brown, you home will be filled with the caramel aroma.

Add the remaining 1 cup of water little by little, while maintaining a safe distance from the stove.

Once the water is fully incorporated, let it boil for 3-4 minutes.

Caramel syrup is ready. The syrup will look thinner but it will thicken as it cools. Transfer to a jar & refrigerate. Use it for cakes or as a spread on a warm bread with a dash of salt.