Cumin Butter Cookies

Cookies are very good choice with tea or small snacks treat for kids. Kids like to eat cookies anytime. Cookies are easy to make and little chance to go wrong during cooking.

I recently started making cookies and then realised how easy it is to make home and satisfy our family tooth. Cookies can be either sweets or salty or spicy and these are good in taste whether sweet or salty or spicy.

I tried cookies home and my hubby and specially my son liked it too much and started demanding cookies every hour. As my son is little choosy about food but he started liking the home cookies very much.

Here I am sharing cumin cookies which I made for the first time. This is little salty in taste and  the roasted cumin flavour make a good combination with salt. I made cumin cookies more salty as comparison to guess the required salt amount in cookies and it worked wonder in taste. I served these cookies in my son's birthday party and response was superb as recipe was asked by everyone. After this party, I was so boosted about the cookies that I thought to share this recipe on this blog. You also give this a try and enjoy with your family.

Ingredients: for Approx 15 cookies

I use cup which is 150 gram capacity.

1. All purpose flour: 1 cup
2. Powder sugar: 1/2 cup
3. Butter: 1/2 cup (approx 60 gram)
4. Cumin seeds: 2 spoon
5. Salt: 1 spoon
6. Soda: 1/2 tsp (Optional)
7. Milk: 2 tsp (optional) (I didn't use)

Method of preparation

1. Take butter out from refrigerator some time before so that it can come to normal temperature or You can also take it in microwave safe bowl and heat it for 10 to 15 second to bring to normal temperature.
2. When butter comes to normal temperature, add powder sugar and beat it with electric beater so that a creamy texture comes. Don't over beat.
3. Now take a pan and heat it. Add cumin seeds and roast it for 1 minutes.
4. Take a bowl and put all purpose flour, salt and roasted cumin seeds and mix well.
5. Add this mixture in to butter sugar mixture and fold it and make a dough.

   6.  Now take this dough and make a log. Now take a plastic sheet wrap and wrap this log in this      plastic sheet.

7.    If  you don't want to make log of dough then divide the dough into small 15 pieces and give desired shape from cookies cutter. Wrap all cookies in plastic sheet.
8.    Put plastic sheet wrap of dough log or shaped cookies in freezer for at least one hour. I preferably put for overnight.

9.    Preheat the oven for  10 minutes at 180 degree centigrade.

10.  Take out plastic sheet wrap of dough log or shaped cookies from freeze and open the plastic sheet wrap.
11.   If you have log of dough then take a knife and cut this log into equal size disc.

12.   Take a baking try and put parchment paper over that. Place all cookies in baking tray.
13.   Bake it for 12 to 15 minutes. As I have gas oven, I baked it for 15 minutes and rotated the baking try after every  5 to 7 minutes.

14.  When cookies start turning golden brown, switch off the oven and let cookies be cool down.

15.   Cookies are ready. Serve it with tea or as evening snacks. These cookies can be stored in air tight container also for some days.

Tips:

1. Don't heat butter long. just it should come to normal room temperature.
2. I made it little more salty so I put 1 tsp salt. If u wish to make it less salty then put 1/2 tsp salt.
3. I took granular sugar and grinded it in mixer to make it powder sugar.
4. There is enough butter to make dough from refined flour but still if you feel butter is not enough to bind flour you can add 2 tsp milk. Keep this 2 tsp milk handy at the time of making dough.
5. Baking time limit should be decided based on your oven.

Roasted Arbi Fritters

Arbi is a kind of vegetable which looks and taste somehow like potatos.

Generally it is not the first choice of people for vegetables even not the second choice. But it has great health benefits which we can't ignore.

It is rich in Vitamins,Minerals and has many healing properties. It is very useful in getting rid of many diseases.It is rich in carbohydrates. It contains high amount of dietary fibres which are very useful in digestive process. It acts as antioxidant which removes toxins from body. It has many more benefits still apart from above mentioned.

Here I am sharing one recipe of arbi which is very healthy and easy to cook and would surely be liked by everyone. My husband doesn't like to see this vegetable in food on dining table. When I served this roasted Arbi Fritters in snacks to my husband, he was not able to recognize this vegetable and finished the plate within 5 minutes. His comment was that it is the only  recipe of Arbi which he liked and can have it more any time. My three years son also liked it and joined us to have it as he is also very choosy about food.

So you people would also like to try this recipe at least once.This recipe is very healthy version because there is no oil in this. This is baked version but it can be deep fried as per preference. I generally prefer  baked version of food so I made it baked version. It taste great in either way. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients: Serving for 2

1. Arbi : 4 to 5 (boiled)
2. Gram Flour ( Besan): 2 spoon
3. Chat Masala: 1 tsp
4. Chilli flakes: 1 tsp
5. Curd: 2 tsp
6. Garam Masala: 1 tsp
7. Asafoetida(Heeng): 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
9. Lemon juice: 1 tsp
10. Salt: As per taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Take Arbi and wash it properly. Take a pressure cooker. Add water and cook it until one whistle. Cool it and then peel its skin.
2. Take this boiled Arbi in a bowl and cut it into slices.
3. Add gram Flour, chat masala, garam masala, Turmeric powder, Chilli flakes, salt, curd, asafoetida and marinate Arbi with these.
4. Keep this marinated Arbi in freeze for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 240 degree centigrade for 15 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, take marination out from freeze. Grease the baking try with oil and brush.
7. Put all marinated slices of Arbi in tray.
8. Keep this tray in oven on third rack from bottom. Bake for 15 minutes.

9.    After 15 minutes of baking , take it out and serve with your favourite chatuney or ketchup.

Tips:

1. Don't over cook the Arbi in pressure cooker. Only one whistle is enough for cooking.
2. Adjust Masala in marination as per your taste.
3. This marinated Arbi can be deep fried instead of baking. 

Coconut Curd Chutney

Coconut curd chutney (chatani) is sour and little sweet taste chutney. It is perfect combination with south Indian dishes for e.g. idli, dosa, appam and uttpam. The sour taste of this chutney comes from curd and coconut gives it very mild sweet taste.

 This chutney is my family's favourite chutney specially loved by my son. My son can eat everyday appam with this coconut curd chutney. Even when ever we go out for picnic or short travelling, we keep appam and coconut curd chutney and we three enjoy this food while traveling.

Preparation of this chutney is easy and can be prepared in 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

For Chutney

1. White coconut powder
2. Curd : one cup
3. Green chilli: 2 nos.
4. Garlic : 1 pod
5. Salt: As per taste

For Tempering

1. Red Chilli : 1 no.
2. Musterd seeds : few seeds
3. Asafoetida( hing): one pinch
4. Curry leaves : few leaves ( I did not use)
5. Green coriander: few bunches fir garnish
6. Oil : for tempering

Method of Preparation:

For Chutney

1. Take a mixer grinder jar and put all ingredients in that. Make a fine paste grinding it.
2. Take it out in a bowl.

 For tempering

1. Take a tempering spoon and heat it on high flame. Add oil and heat it. Add red chilli mustard seeds and crackle it. Add hing and switch off gas immediately. Pour it in bowl of chutney.
2. Garnish with coriander leaves.
3. Coconut curd chutney is ready to serve.

Tips

1. This chutney can be stored in freezer up to one week.
2. If you have curry leaves then add the same during tempering.

Orange Coconut Ladoo

Orange Coconut Ladoo has sweet and sour taste and I made it first time on experiment basis.

Actually One orange juice was kept in my freeze and I thought what I can try with this orange juice.  I opened my grocery cupboard and checked what would be available in my pantry to make some sweet dish. I saw coconut powder and it clicked in my mind making coconut ladoo using orange juice. I cooked it today and believe me taste is awesome and you can give it a try. This is just a 3 ingredients recipe.

Here I share my orange coconut ladoo recipe.

Ingredients: for 10 ladoos

1. Coconut powder: 100 gram (keep 2 - 3 spoon apart to roll over)
2. Orange juice: 200 ml
3. Sugar: 200 gram
4. Tutti fruity: few pieces to garnish ( Optional)

Method of Preparation:

1. First we make orange sauce texture using orange juice and sugar.
2. For this take a pan, heat it on low flame. Put orange juice and sugar in pan. Stir it continuously on high flame.
3. After 15 to 20 minutes, it will turn into a thick sauce type consistency. Switch off gas and cool it completely.
4. When orange syrup comes to room temperature, take coconut powder in big bowl. Add orange syrup in it . Mix it well using spoon or hand. 
5. Now make round shape of ladoo and keep it on clean plate. When you finish making round shape laddoos, take a bowl and put 2 - 3 spoon coconut powder and roll ladoos over this powder and coat it well
6. Orange Coconut Ladoo is ready. Garnish it with tutti fruity. 

Tips

1. This can be stored up to one week if it is stored in refrigerator.
2. You can garnish with any other topping of your choice like almonds, raisins etc

Methi Masala Poori

Poori is very common cuisine in India which is served in main meal and breakfast too. Poori and chhole is very common and favourite breakfast which is liked by every age group. In every occasion, festival, party get together it is expected to be served in food. Poori and halwa is also a very common food which is distributed in festival time in India.  

It can be prepared in many different ways. e.g simple poori, ajwain poori, bedmi poori, stuffed poori etc.

Here, I am sharing Methi Masala Poori, which is very tasty and goes with every kind of sabji and curry.

It is easy to cook and can be served in any party or occasion.

Ingredients: serving for 2

1. Wheat flour: 2 cups
2. Kasuri Methi : one hand full
3. Ajwain: 1 tsp
4. Chat masala: 1 spoon
5. Tomato : 1 big
6. Garlic: 4 pods
7. Green chilli: 2 nos.
8. Oil: 2 spoon
9. Salt: one pinch
10. Water: for kneading

Method of preparation

1. Take kasuri methi, tomato, garlic, green chilli, in a mixer jar and grind it and make a paste.
2. Now take flour in bowl, add ajwain, oil and salt in the flour.
3. Mix all these properly using palm until it comes to a bread crumb texture.
4. Now knead this flour mixture with paste prepared in step 1 and make tight dough.
5. When dough is ready, cover it with wet clothes and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, take dough and divide it into small portions.
7. Make round shape of these small portions of dough using palm and roll these using rolling pin in circular shape.
8. Take a frying pot or kadhai. Heat it on high flame. Put oil enough in pot or kadhai to deep fry the poori. Heat this oil on high flame.
9. When vapour starts coming from oil then put a small pinch of dough in oil to check whether it is right temperature to deep fry.
10. Now put rolling Poori in kadhai. Deep fry it with the help of spatula. When poori puff it on the surface of oil then turn it and cook other side too.
11. When it becomes golden brown, take it out on kitchen towel and put other batches of poori in oil

    12.    Now Methi Masala Poori is ready. Serve it with either chhole, alooo tamatar sabji or bhajii. It tastes Good with any type of sabji.

Tips:

1. Make a tight dough, which will absorb less oil during deep fry.
2.  If you have fresh fenugreek leaves which is easily found in winter season, then you can use it instead of kasuri Methi.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ice cream is all-time favorite of every one specially kids and youngsters. In summer, ice cream is demanded quite often to soothe the effects from heat and enjoy with family and friends. In every occasion, ice cream is the first dessert which is expected to be included in menu.

So here I am sharing a very easy and basic recipe of vanilla ice cream which is easy to prepare and which is without egg and without ice cream machine. You just need a good electric beater for home made ice cream.

This Vanilla Ice cream recipe is very basic which can be served with every kind of topping and can be moulded with other flavours.

Ingredients: Serving for 4 - 5 persons

1. Milk: 1/2 litre full cream
2. Corn flour: 1 spoon
3. Sugar: 200 gram
4. GMS powder: 1.5 spoon
5. CMC powder: 1/4 spoon
6. Whipped cream : 200 ml
7. Vanilla essence: 1 spoon
8. Chocolate syrup: for garnishing ( Optional)

Method of Preparation:

1. Take half litre full cream milk. Divide this milk in two parts of 100 ml and 400 ml.
2. Take 400 ml milk in a pan and boil it on medium flame. Put sugar in milk and continuously stir it.
3. Take 100 ml milk in a bowl. Add corn flour, GMS powder and CMC powder and mix well. Make sure that there is no any lump.
4. Add this mixture to 400 ml milk and stir well to avoid lump.
5. Heat this milk continously till it turn in to a sauce type thickness. It take at least 20 minutes to reach this consistency after adding mixture of GMS and CMC powder.
6. Let it be cool. If any lump in milk mixture then Blend it with hand blender to make a smooth paste.
7. If you have no hand blender then you can filter it using clean tea filter.
8. When it cools down, take it into a air tight container, preferably aluminium or plastic.
9. Keep freezer on maximum. Put milk paste in to freezer for 2 hours or till when it starts to set as ice.
10. When it starts to set as ice, take it out and whisk it fast with electric beater. It will get little fluffy after whisking.
11. Keep it again in freezer for 2 hours and let it again set.
12. After 2 hours, again take it out and add cream and vanilla essence and whisk it fast with electric beater. Now it will get fluffy and turn in to ice cream texture.

   13.  Keep it again in freezer for 2 hours to set.
   14.  Now ice cream is ready. Take it in a bowl, topping with chocolate syrup and serve it.

Tips:

1. Make sure there is no any lump in milk paste. Either you filter it or blend it.
2. Every freezer has different settings. So check on 30 minute intervals when it starts setting in to ice. I generally keep milk paste in freezer for 2 hours and it starts setting in this time.
3. You can adjust sugar and cream in to ice cream as per your taste and health.

Chickpeas Stuffed Papad Cone

One of the easily found starter  in every Indian household is Masala Papad. I am sharing a recipe in which this simple papad can be turned into a sophisticated food delicacy. Papad helps in digestion and vegetable adds nutrition. This delicious version does not take much time and can be served in parties or as snacks in homes. This Chickpeas Stuffed Papad Cone will be loved by all.

Ingredients:

For stuffing: serving for 2

1. Chickpeas: 3/4  bowl(boiled)
2. Onion: 1 medium (fine chopped)
3. Tomato: 1 medium sized(fine chopped)
4. Green chilli: 2 fine chopped
5. Red Chilli flakes: 1 tsp
6. Lemon: 1/2
7. Haldiram Bhujia: 4 - 5 spoon
8. Salt: As per taste

Papad cone: 2 round papads

Method of Preparation:

For stuffing:

1. Take cheakpeas and boil it until it is cooked. Cool it and mash it.
2. Add fine chopped onion, tomato, green chilli, salt, red chilli flakes and lemon juice.
3. Keep this mixture and haldiram bhujia aside.

Papad cone:

1. Take 2 big round papad. Divide each papad from mid in two parts in semi circular shape.
2. Take a tawa or skillet and heat it on medium flame.
3. Place semi circula shape papad on tawa or skillet and roast it with the help of kitchen towel pressing lightly.
4. When it is roasted, join the two sides of papad together and make cone shape immediately with light hand.
5. Do same with other the other piece of semi circular papad.

Stuffing for Papad

1. Now take small glass. Place cone shape papad in glass.
2. Now take cheakpeas mixture and haldiram bhujia mix together.
3. Now fill papad cone with cheakpeas mixture with the help of spoon.
4. Cheakpeas stuffed papad cone is ready to serve.

                                                                         

Tips:

1. Add Haldiram bhujia in cheakpeas mixture at last when papad cone is to be filled. Otherwise bhujia can be soggy.
2. Roast papad with light hand on tawa or skillet.
3. Make cone shape of papad immediately after tawa or skillet with light hand.
4. You can stuff any thing of your choice instead of cheakpeas. For ex. Boiled potatoes, sprouts, any mixture.
5. You can use any mixture instead of haldiram bhujia.                                    

  

Veg Appams

Appam is south indian dish which is easy to cook, easy to digest and liked by all including kids and elders. It is healthy option for snacks or breakfast. It can be taken anytime. It is also a very good option for carrying while on picnic or during journey time while travelling as it is very quick to cook and easy to digest.
Appam stand is required to cook appams which you can easily find online or in utensil stores. Generally appam stand are non stick type so you can cook without oil which is very healthy option.

Ingredients: for 24 appams

1. Idli batter: 2 bowls
2. Onion: 1 big ( fine chopped)
3. Carrot: 1 medium (grated)
4. Beans: 3 to 4 ( fine chopped)
5. Capsicum: 1 small size (fine chopped)
6. Green chilli: 2 ( fine chopped)
7. Coriander leaves: few bunches(fine chopped)
8. Musterd seeds: approx 1/4 bowl
9. Oil : for frying

Method of Preparation:

1. Take idli batter in a bowl. Mix all chopped vegetables in batter.
2. Take appam stand and put on gas stove. Heat it on medium flame.
3. Put few drops of oil in each mould and add 10 to 12 mustard seeds in oil and let it be sizzled.
4. Put batter in each mould of appam stand with the help of spoon.
5. Cover it with lid and let it be cooked on medium flame for  5 minutes.
6. After 5 minutes turn each appam with the spoon or spatula and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

    7. Now appam is ready, take it out in plates and serve it with coconut chutney or mint curd chutney.

Tips:

1. You can add vegetables of your choice.
2. Serve it hot. It taste best when hot.

Shahi khaskhas Coconut Laddus

Shahi khaskhas coconut laddus is easy to make and can be prepared for any festivals or party. I made this laddus using khaskhas syrup which I got from chandni chowk market Delhi, but it is easily available in departmental store as I have seen in many departmental store. This laddu has great flavour of khaskhas which enhance its taste. I made this laddu using condensed milk but can also be prepared using homemade khoya. This is easy to prepare in either method and can be prepared in 15 to 20 minutes.

Give a try to this laddu and please your family and near dear ones by serving this laddu.

Ingredients : 14 - 15 laddus

Coconut powder : 50 gram ( keep 3- 4 spoon aside to coat the laddu)
Condensed milk : 50 gram
Khaskhas syrup : 2 to 3 tsp
Cardamom ( Chhoti Elaichi) : 2 to 3 (Optional)
Ghee: 2 tsp
Raisins : for garnish

Method of Preparation:

1. Take a pan and heat it on low flame. Put ghee in the pan and add coconut powder.
2. Saute it for just 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and mix properly.
3. Add khaskhas syrup and cardamom powder and mix them.
4. Switch off gas and let the mixture cool. When this comes to normal temperature, make them in round shape of laddu using palms.
5. Role it on coconut powder and coat it properly with coconut powder.
6. Garnish it with raisins and serve the laddus. 
7. Laddus can be kept in air tight container for use up to 3 - 4 days.

Tips:

1. You can make it homemade khoya also instead of condensed milk.
2. You can garnish it with almonds, tutti fruity or cherry or anything of your choice.