Plain Sponge Cake

Cake Recipe: Ingredients: 225 grms Self raising flour, 225 grms sugar, 225 grms butter (room temperature),4 large eggs 1 spn vanilla flavoured essence/ extract. 1 flat tea spn baking powder. 2-3 tbl spns milk. Method: Sieve flour and baking powder and keep aside. Beat butter and sugar well until sugar dissolves. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add milk and vanilla essence and combine. Now keep combining and keep adding the flour and baking powder mixture slowly little by little making sure it dissolves well with no lumps. The Mixture is ready. If you wish u can add dry fruits to this mixture before baking. To bake pre-heat oven to 180degrees. Line a cake tin with a grease proof paper and pour in the mixture. Place this in the pre heated oven and bake for 35 mins, then lower the temperature to 160 degrees and cover the tin with foil inorder to protect the cake from burning. Bake for 20 more mins. Now remove the foil and poke knife deep into the cake in the center, if it comes out clean the cake is done. if not continue for 10 more mins. Soft smooth cake is ready. Cheers, Chandini

Puri mukkalu (puri biscuit)

Puri mukkalu Recipe:
Ingredients:
2cups of Maida/Plain white flour. 1/2 cup milk. 4-5 spns of sugar.A pinch of salt. Oil and a pan to fry.

Method:
Add sugar to milk and dissolve. Now add this mixture to the flour,add salt and knead into a stiff dough (similar to that we make for puri).
Make small balls and roll out each in to flat large puris. Now with a knife cut the puri into smaller diamond /square shapes (as you like). Finish the enitre dough to make small shapes and deep fry on medium heat oil until golden brown. sweet puir biscuit is ready to eat.

Alternate option:
Those of you who do not like it sweet can make it salty. Just make a dough using salt flour and water. Add 1spn of ajwain/ jeera as this will give a good taste when added. Rest is the same.
Note:
The picture shows how salty puri biscuit with ajwain looks (this is my favourite).

Cheers,
Chandini

Chekkalu (Andhra Tea time Snack)

Chekkalu Recipe: Ingredients: 2 cups rice flour, 6-8 green chillies,2-3 stems curry leaves (better if chopped/ halved), a lime size piece of ginger, 1cup Soaked saggubeeyyam(saboo dana), 1/2 cup split roasted gram (Daria daal). Salt to taste and 50-75 grams butter (at room temperature). A Plain sheet of cling film or any plastic cover/sheet(to press the dough). Oil and a heavy bottom deep pan for frying. Method: In a mixer grinder grind together ginger and chillies to make a fine paste. In a dry bowl mix rice flour salt and butter together. Now add the chilli paste, chopped curry leaves, gram dal, saboo dana and combine with little water to form a smooth dough. Make small balls and place them on the plastic sheet.Press with fingers to make small flat round poppadum shapes. Use a drop of oil on your hands to avoid from sticking. Heat oil in the pan and fry on a medium heat slowly till golden brown. Do not heat oil on high as this will burn and not allow the dough to cook well. Crispy and Yummy chekkalu are ready to eat. They can be stored for over a week in an air tight container! Cheers, Chandini