Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Source: Home Cooking with Sonya(with slight variations to suit us)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg celsius.
2. Grease a muffin tray or use cupcake liners as I have did.
3. In a small bowl beat milk, oil and egg. Stir in diced apples.
4. In a larger bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix well and stir it until well combined.
5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and carefully pour the wet ingredients into the well.
6. Stir slowly just until flour is moistened and mixed well. Batter will be lumpy, but that's okay(Thank goodness Sonya mentioned it, otherwise I would have worried about it).
7. Pour the batter into the cups until 2/3rd full. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
8. Allow to sit for a minute and then remove from pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

Dahi Kadhi/ Hot Yoghurt soup

The first time I was introduced to this Kadhi was about 12 years ago during one of my visits to my in laws place in Vadodara. The only difference being Kadhi was always got from Baroda dairy.  All that was required to be done was warm it up and serve. Being the mangy that I was, at that point of time my palette was not used to either yoghurt or a yogurt based preparation. Since then, I have come a long way.

Ingredients:

For the Kadhi:

• Yoghurt - 1 cup beaten
• Buttermilk - 1 cup
• water - 2 cups
• Chickpea flour(besan) - 4 Tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
• Ginger - 1/2 tsp grated
• Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
• Sugar - 1 tsp or to taste(optional)

For the seasoning:

• Oil - 3 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Whole red chilly(dry) - 1
• Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds/ Methi - 10 seeds
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. In a pot mix curd, buttermilk, water and chickpea flour well. Stir until there are no more lumps.
2. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, grated ginger and chopped green chillies.
3. Bring mixture to a boil on a medium flame, stirring continuously.
4. Reduce flame to low.
5. In another small vessel/seasoning pan heat oil and ghee together.
6. Add the red chilly, cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds and allow them to splutter.
7. Turn off flame, add curry leaves and mix well.
8. Add the seasoning into the boiled yoghurt mixture and allow it to boil once more.
9. Switch off and serve it in a bowl as a soup or as an accompaniment with some rice and veggies.