Sprout Roundels - Oil or ghee?? No way!! Use any one sprout or preferably mixed sprouts available in the supermarkets. Wash well, drop in boiling water, switch off stove & keep covered for 5 mtes. Drain & cool. Crush coarsely with salt & masalas of your choice. Can be ginger-green chilli garlic minced or red chilli powder+dhaniya powder+ garam masala. Make small round discs. Mix little curds with a pinch of salt + chopped coriander leaves. Dip each ball in this & roll in bread crumbs. Keep on a greased baking tray. Bake in a pre heatd oven at 180 deg C for 10mtes. Flip & repeat the same. Serve with tomato sauce.
Eggless Apple-Cinnamon Muffins - very aromatic! Chopped/grated apples - 2 cups Maida - 1 cup Baking powder & Cooking soda - Each, ½ tsp Soft butter - ½ cup Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Chopped walnuts - ½ cup Milk 2-3 tbsp Preheat the oven to 200 deg C & grease the muffin moulds. Sieve flour, baking powder & cooking soda. Cream butter & sugar till soft & creamy. Add apples, cinnamon powder, essence & mix well. Slowly fold in flour & walnuts. Add 2-3 tbsp of milk & mix gently. Spoon 2 tbsp batter into each muffin mould Bake at 200 deg C for 20—25 mts. Cool & remove. Sprinkle powdered sugar+cinnamon powder on top.
Kaju Magic - you will no more buy a commercial product!! Powder cashews, pulsating, to avoid them from becoming oily. Or use a nut grater. Cashew powder - 1 cup Finely powdered sugar - ¾ cup Cardamom powder - 1/2- tsp (optional) Milk - 2-3 tsp, if necessary. Knead cashew powder & powdered sugar,adding milk only if if necessary. Make small discs. A small bangle, used,as shown in the photo, helps make perfect circles of uniform size. Use a tomato slice / fork to draw lines on them to give a professional look!! Arrange on a well-greased baking tray & sprinkle pistas – optional. Bake at 160 deg C for20-25 mtes till aroma comes. Remove from the oven & remove from baking tray immediately. Cool & store airtight.
Ragi Biscuit - the latest entrant in the market is here!! Ghee gives very flavourful biscuits. Ragi flour is roasted dry on a low flame in a kadai & cooled thoroughly. Ragi flour - 100 gms Ghee (not butter) - 50 gms Powdered sugar - 50 gms 1-2 tsp water Beat together all ingredients except water to a dough. Add water in spoons to get a soft (not very!) dough. Pinch small portions & flatten to a circle by keeping inside a bangle. Bake in a pre heated oven at 160 deg C for 20mtes or tilldone. cool & store airtight. Breakast - papaya, ragi biscuts, multigrain laddu, hocolate milkshake!
Oats Biscuits - new entrant in the local market along with ragi biscuits!! This is an everyday biscuit & very simple to make. Mix together: Butter - 1/3 cup Powdered sugar - 1/3 cup Vanilla essence - 1 tsp To that, mix the following & make a dough: Powdered oats (in the mixi) - ¾ cup Maida - ¾ cup Spread the dough with a roller, between plastic sheets to ½ cm thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to baking sheet & bake in a pre heated oven at 200 deg C for about 12-15 mtes, till golden. Remove, cool & store airtight.
Brown sugar – chocolate chip cookies - biting texture!! This is a restaurant recipe. Make a crumbly mixture so that the cookies are crunchy. I feel,wheat flour may give hard biscuits only. Mix with hand: Soft butter - 100 gms Brown sugar - 50 gms Honey - 1 tbsp Maida-100gms + baking powder-1/2 tsp sieved together Chopped walnuts - 2 tbsp The dough should be thick. Finally add chocolate chips -50 gms & mix gently. Pat into discs, slightly uneven & spread on greased baking sheets. Bake at 140 deg C for 10-12 mtes. Cool completely & store airtight.
Kesar Nankhatai - Ghee & saffron combine! Maida - 100 gms Fine rava - 100 gms Powdered sugar - 100 gms Ghee - 100 gms Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Nutmeg powder - ½ tsp Thick curds - 1 tbsp Milk - 1 tbsp Cooking soda - ¼ tsp Saffron - ¼ tsp ( warm & powder) Cream ghee & sugar till light & creamy. Add all other ingredients one by one, kneading gradually. Make small rounds. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg c for 15-20 mts till light brown. Makes about 4 dozs.
Chocolate-walnut Nankhatai - less common! I made up this recipe myself!! Maida - 80gms ( after measuring, I removed 1 tbsp & replaced with cocoa poder.) Rava - 20 gms Powdered sugar - 50 gms Ghee - 50 gms (vanaspathi gives best results & is used commercially) Baking powder - 1/8 tsp Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Curds - 1 tbsp In a big plate, rub ghee & soda with your palm till white & creamy. Add sugar & rub further. Add the dry ingredients (maida, rava, baking powder etc) & vanilla essence. As you knead, add the curds till you get a nice dough If (at all) still very stiff add, milk in tsps. Divide into 12 balls. Do not flatten. Roll with a tiny dent in centre. Keep a piece of walnut in that. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg C for 25-30 mtes or till one. Cool & store airtight. Since I replaced maida with cocoa, it was not very sweet. So, if you like dd 60 gms sugar & less curds /milk to get a correct dough.
Coconut Fingers - sheer magic! Sweetened condensed milk - half of 400 gms tin Finely grated desiccated coconut - 120 gms Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Few glace cherries & split almonds Mix together condensed milk, coconut and and essence. Spread over half of a greased swiss roll tin ½ “ deep. Cut into fingers. Place a cherry or a split almond on each. Bake at 375 deg F for 15 mtes until golden brown.
Hide & seek cookies - looks very attractive. Beat together: Butter & powdered sugar - each, 50 gms When creamy, add: Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Maida - 125 gms Soda - ¼ tsp Baking powder - 1/8 tsp. Mix & add a little milk to get a soft dough. Roll between plastic sheets & cut into desired shapes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mtes or so. Remove & cool. Melt 100 gms dark cocolate . Cool for a few mtes. Dip one side of each biscuit in that & take out. Drain. It will dry on its own..