Indian Cooking Challenge: Thekua (Indian Biscuit)

Indian Cooking Challenge: A great initiative by Srivalli of  Spice your life. Every month all members prepare a traditional Indian dish from different states and post it sharing their experience while exploring the recipe. Though I joined in last month but owing to my travelling I couldn't participate.. But here is my experience with this month's recipe.


This month's challenge recipe was Thekua, an Indian Biscuit from the state of Bihar, commonly called Khajur.. I remember hogging on to it while I was a kid, never imagining that in future I would ever be making it myself.


Thekua is a tea-time snack made of wheat flour & jaggery/sugar.. they could be either deep fried or baked.. can be stored for upto a month in an airtight container. Since it was my first attempt with biscuits, I decided to stick to smaller portions:


Whole Meal Flour (Or Wheat Flour) - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 Tablespoons - powdered
Dry Coconut - 3 Tablespoons
Cardamom Powder - a pinch (I used freshly grounded powder from cardamom seeds)
Sooji - 3 Tablespoons
Ghee  - 3-4 Tablespoons (for kneading)
Water
Ghee - for frying


Mix the flour, dry coconut, sooji, cardamom powder & powdered sugar in a bowl. Add ghee and rub the mixture with your fingers till it gets becomes crumbly (texture like bread crumbs)

Slowly sprinkle little water to make a stiff dough. The dough needs to be very stiff enough (like a big lump)

Leave it for 10 mins. Then take small portions of it and shape them round (like cookies) with greasy hands. I did not have a cookie cutter or an impression mould so I used my hands :) 

Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cookies.  The oil should be moderately hot so that the cookie is cooked well from inside too. Fry till golden brown & crisp. I wanted to try baking as well thus, I baked half the biscuits. Preheat the oven at 350 F and line cookies in a greased tin. 5 mins of baking and cookies were ready :) 

Goes perfect with tea :)

 

A big thanks to my frend Leena for helping me with the recipe.

Pleased to link this recipe to Anu's Cooking with Spices - Cardamom

Healthy Breakfast - ABC Smoothie

Since I started blogging, have got into this habit of randomly reading recipes posted by my fellow bloggers and ofcourse book-marking a few in the process as well.  While browsing I came across Kristin's Banana-Cocoa Smoothie ... was just too too tempted to try it immediately and so I did :) .. a few changes in the recipe and I could tweek it perfectly to my taste.. Loved it .. to the extent that I had 2 glasses of it :))

I used Almonds, Banana & Chocolate for my Smoothie .. naming it ABC SMOOTHIE.. Before we begin the process, chill 2 empty glasses in the refrigerator for serving the smoothie.

All we need is:

Banana - 1

Yogurt/ Curd - 1/2 cup

Milk - 3/4 cup

Cocoa Powder - 1 Tablespoon

Nutella Choc Spread - 1 teaspoon (Choc-lovers could pop in a big dallop ;))

Almonds - 5

Banana Slices & Chocolate Sauce - for garnish

Ice Cubes - few (optional)

Combine all the above ingredients in a blender. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with banana slices & chocolate sauce.

Pleased to link this recipe to Priya's event Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday

Choc-Vanilla Cake (Marble Cake)

I am usually a lil apprehensive with cakes.. I just feel that my cakes aren't always good-looking.. and mostly settle in for muffins.. but owing to a new cake tin n the urge to try "marbling", I tried the CHOC-VANILLA CAKE :)


This cake happened in an experimental mood... one of those days when you feel like having something sweet but not wholly chocolatee... Also, I thought of trying "marbling" .. don't think I was very successful with it but it surely tasted awesome ;) .. If you have comments about marbling.. pls pls do mention them.. I want it to look better next time..

Sorry... couldn't click this one well :(

 Ingredients
Self Raising Flour - 1.5 cups (White Flour + 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder can be used alternatively)
Eggs - 4
Refined Oil - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Cocoa Powder - 2 Tablespoons
Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon
Milk - 2 teaspoons (if required)
Chocolate Syrup & Chocolate Chips - For Garnish

Cooking
1. Pre-heat the oven; 350 degree F

2. In a bowl, mix refined oil & sugar together. We could use an egg-beater for the same.

3. While beating the mixture, keep adding the flour and eggs slowly until all the ingredients blend well. Once done, pour half the batter into a seperate bowl.

4. Add vanilla essence to the first half of the batter and mix well.

5. Add cocoa powder & milk to the other half of the batter and mix well.

6. Take a baking tin and brush it with oil. Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate like a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife through the batters in a swirling motion.

7. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes.

8. Once cool, transfer the cake on a plate and garnish with choclate syrup and chocolate chips.

Our cake is ready to serve :))

Healthy Breakfast - Green Gram Chilla

I just love participating in blog events.. not only they attract newer people to visit my blog but also gives me an idea on what I could be cooking next (in simple words, it saves me from racking my brain on the ingredients, and instead I can focus on the recipe :)) .. Was keen to participate in Priya's CWS event & create a dish with Green Moong.

Every morning Arunesh expects a different delicacy .. and the lazy me always offers oats or cornflakes ;) .. untill I decided to try a new option if not everyday.. atleast alternate. Yesterday was one such option.. GREEN GRAM CHILLA.. healthy, protein-rich and tasty..

Ingredients
Green Moong Dal (soaked overnight) - 1 cup
Yogurt - 2 Tablespoons
Eno - 1 Pinch
Onion (finely chopped) - 1 medium-size
Green Chili (finely chopped) - 1
Fresh Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - handful
Salt - to taste
Red Chili Powder - to taste
Oil

Cooking
1. Grind soaked Moong Dal with Yogurt, Salt & Red Chili in a grinder.

2. Tranfer the mixture to a bowl and add chopped Onion, Green Chili, Coriander Leaves & Eno. Mix well. Add water (if required) to acquire a flowing consistency (Taste the mixture to adjust the salt & chili levels)

3. Heat a teaspoon of Oil in a non-stick pan and spread the mixture with a spoon in round shape. (similar to making a uthapam) Spinkle oil along the sides to prevent it from sticking. Cover with lid and let is cook for 5 minutes. Toss and cook the other side as well.

Our Chilla is ready... tastes best with Mint Chutney & Tomato Ketchup :)

Gajar- Gobhi- Shalgam Achaar (Pickle)

Come winters.. season for fresh juicy beautiful vegetables.. and I used to look upto having GAJAR - GOBHI - SHALGAM ACHAAR... my favourite since I was a kid.. Just perfect with mathizz.. parathazz.. and for someone like me even with rice, maggi or just anything..


So while I was in India, I thought of learning the same from my grandma... and so sharing the same with you all..

Ingredients
Carrots - 250 grams
Turnip - 250 grams
Cauliflower - 2 flowers (medium size)
Ginger (medium-size) - 1 grated
Garlic - 6 flakes finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Chili Powder - as per taste
Salt - as per taste
Vinegar - 3 Tablespoons
Jaggery (Gur) - small piece
Mustard oil - 3 Tablespoons

Preparation
1. Peel the Carrots and Turnips and dice them - I cut them around 1 centimeter long.
2. Cut the Cauliflower into small florets.
3. Boil water in a large pan. Once the water begins to boil, remove from flame and blanch the chopped vegetables for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and put them to dry in the sun for about 2 hours.

Cooking
1. Heat oil in a non-stick vessel and crackle mustard seeds. Add Ginger - Garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the sundried vegetables along with salt and chili powder. Stir well and cover with lid. Let it cook on a slow flame.
3. Heat Vinegar in a bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds and add Jaggery to it. Stir vigourously till they blend well. Add to the vegetables. Stir well and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. (Taste the mixture to adjust the salt and chili level)
4.  Transfer the mixture into a air-tight container and add mustard oil.
5.  Ideally, we should put the pickle container in sunlight for 3-4 days but it is anyways ready for consumption immediately as well :))

Our yummy Pickle is ready... Enjoy it all winters :)

The recipe also goes to Radhika's event - Winter Cooking. 

PUNJABI TADKA - Jeera Aloo (Dhaba-style)

It's been almost 6 days since my last post.. am currently in India.. trip visiting parents owing to long eid holidays in the gulf :)) 

Posting one of the simplest & quickest-to-prepare potato dishes.. trust me it's the most-masaledaar & yummy main-course dish... just be as liberal with the masalazz as much possible.. the dish is a sure-shot winner for any occasion... JEERA ALOO.. typical dhaba-istyle.. (A must have if you ever do a road trip from Delhi to Punjab)

Ingredients

Potatoes (par-boiled - pressure cook till 2 whistles) - 2 medium sized

Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder - 1.5 teaspoons

Cumin Powder - 1.5 teaspoons

Red Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry Mango Powder (Amchoor)  - 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala - 1.5 teaspoons

Salt

Ghee / Unsalted Butter - 2 Tablespoons

Fresh Coriander Leaves - for garnish

Cooking

1. Dice the par-boiled potatoes into small cubes.

2. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan and add cumin seeds once the ghee is hot.

3. As the cumin seeds begin to change color, add all the spices (masalaz) except garam masala. Fry for about 2-3 minutes. Stir continuously. 

4. Add potatoes. Mix well. Close the lid and let the potatoes cook on a slow flame for 25-30 minutes (or till potatoes are tender and well cooked in the masala)

5. Sprinkle garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Paratha (Indian flat-bread)

Chocolate Truffles

Was wondering if a food blog was just about innovation & sharing what I cook..until while browsing I discovered that it was just not about sharing the recipe but sharing the entire experience of cooking..so I decided to try a recipe.. comparitively simple one though but something I had been longing to eat.. CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

I had come across this recipe a while ago and it had been on my to-do list for a while. And honestly, the truffles were one of the yummiest I have had :)) .. no self praise but they truely were awesome.

The original recipe is from Taste of Home and because i was keen to participate in Priya's Bookmarked Recipe - Every Tuesday event, I chose to do so today..



Ingredients (for 12-15 truffles)
Milk Chocolate Chip - 1 cup (I used the Hershey's choc chips)
Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup
Walnut - handful (powdered)
Coconut - grated

Cooking
1. Melt Chocolate Chips and Condensed Milk together in a double boiler .. till they are well blended together.

2. Chill the mixture in a refrigerator for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

3. Shape the mixture into small balls with a help of a scooper or using the hand (shaping like ladoos)

4. Spread the powedered walnuts and grated coconut in seperate plates and roll the truffles on your favorite topping :)
Alternatives like powdered cocoa, colored sprinkles etc could be used.

Truffles are ready... :))