HOMEMADE COOKIES

Hi all, so this particular recipe was given to me by my Sis-in-law who is an excellent cook herself. The best part of this recipe is, its made of ingredients that we use daily especially in Indian cooking. Now I didn't have a couple of ingredients available so modified a bit and it was good all the same. I am listing both the ingredients. Both works well. Here it goes,

HOMEMADE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR : 1/2 CUP
WHEAT FLOUR (CHAPATI FLOUR): 1/2 CUP
OR
MILK POWDER :1/4 CUP + 1/4 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
SUGAR: 1/3 CUP
ALMOND POWDER: 1/4 CUP
RAVA : 1 TBSP
BESAN: 1 TSP OR RAVA 1 MORE TSP
CARDAMOM POWDER: 2 PINCH
1 PINCH SALT
1 STICK BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE CUT INTO SMALL CUBES
1-2 TSP MILK AS REQUIRED

HOMEMADE COOKIES

MAKING

Mix in all the flours and dry powders in a bowl including Cardamom and Salt. Add in the Butter chunks one by one and mix them so that it becomes thicker and dough like. If that's not enough add in a Tsp. of milk to make it dough like. Make sure it isn't too watery or too mushy. It should be firm and coarse. Take small pieces of the dough and roll them into a ball and press to flatten and place them in a baking tray. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake it for 10-15 minutes. Flip them midway and allow it to cool once taken out. Delicious home made cookies are ready. My kids loved them. I am yours will love it too.

TIPS

Don't flatten the cookie dough too much as it tends to crumble. Just press them once and that's it. I did the Milk powder and extra spoon Rava(sooji) version and it came out really well. I think the Milk powder gives an extra flavor to the cookie. You can add Chocolate chips, roasted dry fruits to the same to make it more tasty. Enjoy !

APPLE BHAJJI / FRITTERS

Hi all, Hope you had a wonderful weekend. What do you make when you crave for Bhajji's yet want to eat something healthy at the same time. I had an Apple and unfortunately, my son is not a big fan of it so this is what I came up with to satisfy all of us.

APPLE BHAJJI'S / FRITTERS

APPLE: 1 RED OR GREEN
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR/MAIDA: 1 1/2 CUP
SUGAR: 4 TBSP
SALT: 1/2 TSP
CINNAMON POWDER: 1 TSP
MILK: 1-2 CUP AS REQUIRED
RAISINS: 5 (OPTIONAL)
OIL FOR FRYING

Apple Bhajji/Fritters



MAKING

Peel the outer layer of the Apple and cut them into thin slices. In a bowl, add the Flour/Maida, Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon Powder, Raisins, and mix them well. Add the milk in slowly to make a nice Semi-liquid batter. It should not be too thick or too liquid just like the normal Bhajji batter. Heat oil in a deep frying Pan. Dip in the sliced Apples into the batter and drop it in the oil. Once the outer becomes golden light brown, take it out and place them in a kitchen towel to drain all the excess oil. Delicious Apple Bhajji's or Fritters are ready to eat. It has the delicious outer layer with a wonderful Cinnamon flavor and has the healthy Apple inside, both make a deadly combination. I found that Maple syrup makes an excellent side for it. Enjoy!

TIPS/VARIATIONS

I added fresh Cinnamon powder (grind the cinnamon sticks into a fine powder). It doesn't drink a lot of oil as it cooks fast so take it out at the right time (light brown) or it tends to darken soon. If you want you can add an egg to the batter to make it more fluffy The best part is, once you run out of apples, just drop the batter in the hot oil and take it out when light brown. You get your own version of the Doughnut or Indian vada's. The batter in itself once fried, is delicious. Try it out and let me know

SWEET CORN MASALA

Hi all, Hope you had a wonderful Memorial day weekend. So, this weekend we did a little shopping and I came across a great deal, I was getting 2 sweet Corn's for 88 cents and I immediately jumped on it. Although, I had absolutely no clue on what to make of it except the famous grilled corn called "butta" which we eat so often in India. So decided to come up with a recipe that can be made with Corn and here it is, its called

SWEET CORN MASALA

INGREDIENTS

CORN: 2 SWEET CORN ( 1 and 1/2 CUP CORN KERNELS)
ONION: 1 MEDIUM OR 2 SMALL CHOPPED
CAPSICUM: 1/2 CUP CHOPPED INTO SQUARES
GINGER AND GARLIC CHOPPED ABOUT A TBSP EACH
CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES: 1/4 CUP

SPICES

CUMIN POWDER: 1/2 TSP
CORIANDER POWDER: 1/2 TSP
TURMERIC POWDER: 1/4 TSP
RED CHILI POWDER: 1/2 TSP
GARAM MASALA: 1/2 TSP
KASURI METHI: 1 TSP
GREEN CHILI: 1

FRESH CREAM/HALF AND HALF: 1/4 CUP
OIL FOR SAUTEING
SALT AS REQUIRED
CASHEWS: 5 SOAKED FOR 10-15 MIN AND GRIND INTO A
PASTE (optional)



Sweet Corn Masala

 

MAKING

Firstly, wash the Sweet Corn kernels and keep aside. In a pan, add a Tsp of Oil and saute the Onions with Ginger and Garlic until light brown. Add in the chopped Capsicum's pieces and stir it for at least 3-4 minutes. Now its time to add in the following spices, Turmeric, Red chili powder, Cumin and Coriander powder, Kasoori Methi crushed, and 1 Green chili slit. Stir it for 3-4 minutes until the spices have totally blended, add a tbsp of water if needed to avoid burning. Add the Sweet corn with the required salt and close the pan to allow it to cook for around 15 minutes. Lower the flame, add the cashew paste, Garam Masala, and the Fresh Cream, cook for another 2 minutes and switch the gas off. Garnish with fresh Coriander leaves. Delicious Sweet Corn Masala is ready to eat. Serve it hot with Chapathi's/Roti's.

TIPS/VARIATIONS

Don't overcook the Sweet corn coz then you won't get the bite from it. I didn't have cashews so I didn't use them and it turned out equally well so it's optional. I added 1/2 of whole milk instead of cream and again there wasn't any different. The best part of the dish was the sweetness of the corn with a nice bite to it combined with the hot spices was just amazing. The fresh cream/milk and the cashews just gives it an added flavor.

 

SABUDANA POPPERS

Hi all,

I am back with a new recipe. I had ordered this when we went to a restaurant and it was so good. I always wanted to make it but never made it, don't know why honestly. Anyway, one day I had this urge to make it and let me tell you it was so crunchy and delicious. It was easy and took just half an hour. its called

SABUDANA POPPERS

INGREDIENTS

SABUDANA: SOAKED AND DRAINED 2 1/2 CUP
POTATOES: 3 SMALL OR 2 MEDIUM
CORIANDER LEAVES: 2 TBSP CHOPPED
GREEN CHILLY: 1-2 CHOPPED
TURMERIC POWDER: A PINCH
RED CHILLY POWDER: 1/2 TSP
DHANIA/CORIANDER POWDER; 1/2 TSP
RICE FLOUR FOR LAYERING
SALT AS REQUIRED
OIL FOR FRYING

Sabudana Poppers

MAKING

The first step is to soak the Sabudana overnight or you could soak it in warm water in a hot pack for 4-5 hours. This makes the softening process faster. Next, boil the potatoes in the microwave, it takes about 6-8 minutes for 3 small potatoes. Another option is to boil it the traditional way in the cooker or in a pan with water. Take a pan, drop in the boiled potatoes and mash it well, add the chopped Coriander leaves, Green Chilly, and all the Masala powders mentioned above with the required salt. Mix them well and finally add the sabudana into it and make them into flat balls. Keep it in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so that it firms up. Now comes the interesting part, what I did was layer the Sabudana Popper with Rice Flour just like how you do it for Chapathi's and fry it in a deep pan with oil. Take it out when it becomes light brown and delicious Sabudana Poppers are ready to eat. Serve it with Green Chutney and believe me, you will love it. The outside is crunchy and crisp and the inside soft and chewy just mind-blowing.

TIPS

Make sure you don't layer the poppers with too much Rice Flour because it popped a couple of times and it was scary. That's why I named it Sabudana Poppers. Stay away from the gas while frying cause the reason I believe it popped was maybe coz the sabudana puffed up but the rice flour was trying to hold it all well. The other reason could be the over frying the poppers. So take it out when light brown and don't let it fry for too long. You can try using other layers like Bread Crumbs or Corn flour I think it would work well.