Sweet Biscuit

Ingredients :

Maida (All purpose flour) - 1.5 cups

Baking powder - 1.5 tsp

Sugar powder - 3/4th cup ( less or more if you choose)

Butter - 3 tbspn (melted)

Chopped nuts - 2 spns (Optional)

Curd (yogurt)- 2 tbspn

Milk - 1/4 cup ( or little more to mix)

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method :

- Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, salt , nuts in a big pan and mix well.

- Now add melted butter, curd and mix well again.

- Start adding little milk at a time to make firm dough and cut them into 4 quarters.

- Take each quarter at a time, roll them 1/4" thick (or to size of chapati rolls) and cut them into desired shapes. (You can sprinkle little flour while rolling to avoid dough from sticking to rolling pan)

- Grease a foil sheet with little butter, put them on cookie pan and arrange these cut shapes at 1 inch distance.

- Pre-heat the oven to 400F and bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes or till the top of cookies starts to brown up.

- Remove from oven, let it cool and harden for 5 minutes before you eat.

Tips : Khara biscuits are made same way, except that we add desired spices to them instead of sugar.

Channa Masala

Among the people I have known Channa Masala is the favourite including mine. I thought preparing though was the most difficult part unless I learnt to do it... Now I feel its one of the easy gravys I know when we have lots of guests at home! Will post the recp for your trial and error :-)

Ingredients :

Kabul kadle (channa) - 1.5 cups ( soaked over 8+hrs)
Oil or butter - 3-4 tbsp (oil) or 2 tbsp (butter)

Tomato - 2 big or 3 medium ( boil and puree with no water)

Onions - 2 big or 3 medium (boil and puree with no water)

Chopped onions - 1 cup seperate

Chopped garlic and ginger or paste - 1 spn each

Methi powder (Fenugreek powder) - 1/2 spn

Garam masala powder - 1.5 spns

Dhaniya (Coriander) powder - 1 spn

Red Chilly powder - 1 spn (or acc to taste)

Cumin powder (jeerige pudi) - 1/2 spn (optional)

Salt to taste

Coriander to Garnish

Method :

- Boil the soaked channa with little salt and drain the water completely & keep it aside.

- In a large pan heat butter or oil on medium, add onion-ginger-garlic and fry till golden brown

- To this add tomato-onion puree and stir well for 5 minutes ( puree can splatter once its in the hot pan - so reduce heat to low while adding them)

- Once it starts boiling , add all masalas(dhaniya-garam masala-redchilly powder-methi powder) and stir for another 5 minutes.

- Now add boiled channa to this, keep stirring and bring it to boil ( you can now add little water to adjust the consistency you need)

- Add salt and garnish with coriander.

Serves - 4-5

Tips : You can boil tomatoes and onions and puree them together.

Baathina Pudi / Vegetable Baath Powder

I am glad I make huli / saaru / baath pudi at home than buying or wait for somebody send it from India as it looses aroma/freshness very fast. My memory goes back to days when mom would ask me to help her roast dry ingredients on low flame and I would increase the heat just make it happen a lot faster...this way I have ended up burning dals/chillies many more times than I can remember. After marriage, I can never think of leaving anything on high heat just to wind it up ASAP!!

Among all, our famous huli / saaru / baath or any masala pudi takes lot of patience as it has to be roasted on low flame till all the ingredients are roasted well in and out! Also home-made is obviously fresh and remains so for 2-3 months and you can prepare it again once its over.

Finally, after all my stories here it is :-)) ... Bhaatina pudi is almost same as huli pudi with minor changes and is much ligther in color.

Ingredients :

Dry red chillies - 2 cups

Kadale bele (channa dal) - 1 cup

Uddina bele (uradh dal) - 1/2 cup

Chakke/Dalchini (Cinnamon) - 3.5" stick

Menthya (Fenugreek) - 1/4 cup or little less if you choose

Dry coconut - 2 tsp (optional)

Method :

- Roast all the above ingredients seperately on low/ med-low with a drop or two of oil till you smell the aroma from each one. Cool them for few minutes, then grind to a fine powder and store them in an air-tight container.

Huli Pudi / Sambar Powder

Huli pudi is the used in our homes almost on daily basis. So if its getting empty soon, to prepare them is the next major project. Best of this project is the wonderful aroma it brings and you dont have to worry for next few days/months. The worst part is the sneezes it gives to one and all in the house while being roasted/grinded - but aroma is worth the sneeze LOL :-))

Ingredients :

Dry red chillies - 2 cups
Dhaniya / Coriander seeds - 2 cups
Kadale bele (channa dal ) - 1 cup
Uddina bele (uradh dal ) - 1/2 cup
Menthya (Fenugreek seeds) - 1/4 cup or little less if you choose
Chakke/Dalchini (Cinnamon) - 1" stick
Dry coconut - 1/2 cup

More of cinnamon than mentioned above - 2.5" (OPTIONAL)
Cloves - 3 (OPTIONAL)
Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 spn (OPTIONAL)
Sompu / Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1/2 spn (OPTIONAL)


METHOD :

- Roast all the above ingredients seperately with a drop or two of oil on low / med-low flame till you smell the aroma of each one. Cool them for few minutes, then grind to a fine powder and store them in air-tight container.

Note : Freshly grated coconut gives an amazing taste but it has to be used immediately if not can get stale (can refridgerate upto 1 day).

Also fresh powder is usually spicy for first few days. So might want to try little at a time.

The original pudi ingredients are " from dry red chillies to dry coconut powder" . Mentioned as OPTIONAL are the ones which I add along with the original to give it a more personal touch and offcourse taste. It is the same powder used for bisi-bele baath.

Tomato - Eerulli (onion) Gojju/ Tangy curry

Tomato-Onion gojju has always been a safe bet for chapatis, rottis and even as side dish for yogurt rice. I personally feel jaggery brings the magic into making it more "chat-phat" :-)

Ingredients :

Tomato - 2 big or 3 med (Chopped)

Onion - Equal to tomato (Chopped)

Red chilly powder

Tamarind pulp - 1/4 spn (optional but suggested)

Jaggery - Small piece or 1.5 spn if grated

Mustard to season

Uradh or Channa dal to season

Green chillies - 2

Curry leaves - optional

Coriander (Cilantro) to garnish

Method :

- Heat oil in a pan on medium - add mustard, dal & green chillies - to this add chopped onions and keep stirring till it is about to turn golden brown.

- Immediately add chopped tomatoes and keep stirring once in two minutes till the tomatoes are soft and mushy (do not add water)

- Now add jaggery, red chilly powder, tamarind - mix well and let it boil on med-low for 2-3 mints after jaggery has melted. You can now add little water ONLY if you want to thin the consistency of gojju.

- Add salt and garnish with coriander.

Serves : 4

Tips : -Take it easy while adding green chillies/red chilly powder. You can add little of both or just one of them.

-Also you can cut on tamarind if need be since we already have tomato.

-Jaggery can be substitued with little sugar.

Kobri Mithai / Coconut Burfi

I am very nostalgic about our famous kobri mithai . My mom would make it at home or bring from one of the 'Iyengar bakerys'. I remember gobbling few pieces everytime as if it was my last..LOL
Frozens, especially coconuts are never good enough for me (till now) neither do I have proper tool to break or grate a whole kaayi. The reason I mentioned 'till now' was we recently found a new brand of grated coconut which smells fresh and also tastes good. I think its called 'A Kumars' (I dont remeber the exact name) - will check and post if its different .
I am not a fan of coconut in first place, so I avoid it as much as possible. But this brand was good enough to make me feel I should try coconut burfi.. So here it goes :-)

Ingredients :

Grated coconut - as many cups as you wish
Sugar - equal to coconut
Elakki pudi/Elachi (Cardamom )powder - 1/2 spn for flavour

Method :

- Mix grated coconut and sugar well and keep aside for minimum of 2 hrs.
- After 2hrs put this mixture in a thick pan and keep stirring on low/med-low flame to avoid burning.
-In about 30-35 minutes, the mix begins to leave the vessel in the corners and also the sizziling 'almost' stops.

-Now turn off the heat, add elachi, mix well and let it cool for a minute or 2.
-Meanwhile grease a plate/silver foil sheet with little ghee or butter, spread the mixture to 1/2' or 1" thick and cut it in square shape while it is still hot.
- Let cool now completely till the cut cubes hardens. Store it in air tight container.

Tips : You can garnish with raisins or cashews if wished.

* If the mix gets dry before spreading on greased sheet - make sugar syrup with 3 spns of sugar and 3 spns of water in a hot pan on less heat & pour the dried mix into this, stir well for 3 minutes till syrup is well coated with the mixture - turn off the heat / now put it on sheet and cut them.

Black Eyed Peas Palya (Curry)

Black eyed peas is something which I wanted to try for longtime whenever I peeked into the frozen section of veggies. Since we believe in freshly cut fruits or vegetables, I would always ignore & pass by them. This time forced myself to pick a pack and dumped in freezer not knowing what to do.
I make chapatis on regular basis but side dish is the most painful part . I anyways decided to try black eyed peas with Chapati which did turn out good.

I am going to try few more things out of this peas and post them if they turn out well :-)

This is a very easy and simple side dish which could be served along chapatis/rotti/rice.
Serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients :

Black eyed peas - 3 cups ( or as much as you can have)
Oil - 2tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 spn
Uddina bele/Uradh daal - 1/2 spn
Hing - A pinch
Curry leaves
Red chilly flakes - 1/2 spn
Coriander/Dhaniya powder - 3/4th spn
Red chilly powder - 1/2 spn or acc to taste
Garam masala - 1/2 spn
Coriander
Water to boil
Salt to taste

Method :

- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, jeera , uradh daal, curry leaves, chilly flakes, hing.
- Once the seasoning is ready, add black eyed peas, mix well, add water, ( water level is half inch above the peas ) cover the lid and boil on medium till the peas to an extent where it can be mashed well(do not mash though).
-Now remove the lid and let the extra water evaporate while on stove.
- Once it gets rid of the water, add all the masalas & salt mix well.
- Add lots of coriander than usual to garnish.

Serve hot.