Merry christmas & Happy new year to you all !!

Diversity in India’s culture and tradition is something which makes it unique in itself. Celebrations are a must nowadays in every household and on almost every occasions or festivals in India irrespective of the cultural differences that exists here. Since my childhood, we had celebrated every festival in our home in our own way, be it Eid, Diwali or Christmas, cherished and waited for them till their next arrival. 

Every festival including the Christmas has its own charm and ways of enjoying it. In spite of the grind of the everyday life, we somehow manage some time for the celebrations. Christmas is synonymous with innumerous things to do like merrymaking, prayers, partying, picnics, holidaying,, gifts, food and of course, it has to be baking inside the kitchen without which Christmas celebration is just incomplete. Baking and enjoying wonderful creations of skilful bakers has become very much a part of Christmas celebrations. Though, I am not too good at baking, I tried my hands in baking muffins for the first time with this simple eggless banana walnut muffins with jaggery and the end result was not bad. I went eggless this time since my christmas holiday collided with Tuesday which is a vegetarian day for our family. Moreover, I replaced refined flour with whole wheat flour & refined sugar completely with jaggery since this is a healthier option loaded with extra nutrients like iron, magnesium and potassium. If you want to try it, then follow the recipe as follows:

RECIPE :

Ingredients :

Bananas (small) : 5-6 

Sugarcane jaggery : 1/4 cup

Whole wheat flour (Atta) : 3/4 cup

Vinegar : 1 tsp

Milk : 1/2 cup

Milk powder : 2 tbsp

Baking powder : 3/4 tsp

Baking soda : 1/4 tsp

Rice bran oil ( refined) : 2 tbsp

Muffin molds / Paper Muffin cups: 7-8

Salt  : 4 cups + 1 pinch

Preparation :

1. Pour the salt inside the cooker and spread them uniformly on the surface. Cover the cooker with lid, remove the whistle and preheat the cooker over medium flame for 10-15 minutes.

2. Pour vinegar on milk and keep aside.

3. Mash bananas and jaggery separately.

4. Whip mashed bananas, jaggery, vinegar-milk and oil together to mix well and keep for sometime.

5. Sieve the dry ingredients (flour, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt)  together in a bowl and keep aside.

6. Pour the wet mixture over the solid mixture and add pieces of walnuts, whisk them gently so that no clump remains. Take care not to overdo it.

7. Pour the mixture into the muffin cups or muffin moulds so that it fills 3/4th of the cups or moulds.

8. Drop walnut pieces on top.

9. Put the cups or moulds inside the preheated cooker, cover the lid and heat for 15-20 minutes in a low flame.

10. Test the baking by inserting toothpicks inside the muffins. If it comes out clean, that means your muffins are done.

11. Turn off the flame, take them out and let them cool down, and your muffins are ready for your celebration of Christmas evening with a hot cup of coffee or tea.