Chocolate cookie

I wanted to use Cadbury’s gems, instead of chocolate chips in cookies and tried it in Hershey’s chocolate cookie recipe. The gems stayed intact without melting and looked colourful.

Ingredients

Four                           2 1/4 cup

Unsalted Butter       1 cup (softened)

Cocoa powder          1/3 cup

Granulated sugar     3/4 cup

Brown sugar              3/4cup

Vanilla                       1tsp

Eggs                           2

Choco - chips            2 cups

Nuts                           1 cup

Baking soda              1tsp

Salt                            1/2tsp

Method

Sift flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla  until creamy.

Add eggs beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. 

Make small balls, flatten it and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Note:

I halved the recipe, but still used 1/3 cup of cocoa powder.

Used a mix of chocolate bits and gems.

Thirunelveli Sambhar and Cauliflower fry

Thirunelveli or Nellai in short, an ancient city in Tamilnadu is not only famous for its Halwa, but also for its cuisine, which is rich in coconut and flavour. Some popular Nellai specialities are Nellai sodhi, Avial, Theeyal, Mundri kothu, ulundu saadham, Ellu thuvayal and as my maternal grandmother had her roots there, I am quite familiar with the delicacies, as most of her cooking reflected her place of origin. But, I was introduced to Nellai sambhar by my In laws, as it was the favourite sambhar of my late father in law, who hailed from Palayangottai, the twin city of Thirunelveli. This Nellai sambhar is different from madras sambhar and usually served with rice. In the picture, the sambhar is served in a traditional earthen ware called Kal Satti, which is used many house holds even now, for the particular flavour and taste that it gives to the food cooked in it.

Ingredients

Tuar dal                     1/2 cup

Vegetables                 300 g ( Drumstick, Egg plant, chayote, Radish - any one of these)

Onion                        1 large

Tomato                      1 large

Turmeric powder       1/2tsp

Asafoetida                  a pinch

Tamarind                    small lemon sized ball soaked in 1/2 cup water

Combine the following and grind to a fine paste

One small onion or 1/2 an onion

Red chilly             5

Coconut                1 1/2 tbsp

Cumin                   1 tsp

For tempering

Mustard + urad dal  1tsp

Cumin                     1/2tsp

Curry leaves            few

Oil                           1 tbsp

Method

Rinse tuar dal and pressure cook with enough water.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard + urad dal, curry leaves and when it begins to pop add the cumin seeds.

Add the sliced onion and saute until it is pink.

Add chopped tomato and stir until it is cooked.

Add the chopped vegetable, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt, enough water for the vegetable to cook, close the pan and leave it to cook.

When the vegetables are almost cooked add the tuar dal, ground masala paste, tamarind water and cook on low heat for few more minutes until everything boils to a thick sambhar.

Serve hot with rice, Idly or dosa.

Cauliflower fry

Crisp cauliflower fry is a favourite for all age groups and now it has also become a part of the wedding feast. As it tastes like chicken 65, it is a good substitute for vegetarians.

Ingredients

Cauliflower                          1 small flower (about a palm size )

Rice flour                             4 tsp

Chilly + Coriander powder  1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste               1 tsp

Lemon Juice                        1/4 tsp

Water                                   about 2 tbsp for mixing the masala

a pinch of sugar
Salt
Oil for frying

Method

Divide the cauliflower into small florets.

Boil some water , with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Add the cauliflower florets to the boiling water, turn of the heat and let it remain in the hot water for about 10 minutes.

Drain the water and set aside the vegetable to dry completely.

When dry, add the rice flour, chilly+ coriander powder, ginger garlic paste, salt, lemon juice and sugar to the cauliflower.

Sprinkle water and mix so that the masala coats the cauliflower well.

Deep fry in hot oil and serve with rice or as a snack.

Note: I actually used some lemonade, which was there beside while mixing the masala, instead of water, which occurred to me just at that moment, not much, but only just enough for the masala to coat the cauliflower.

Water melon summer treat

Water melon, Rock melon, Palmyra fruit and Cucumber are nature’s wonderful summer treat. Water melon is best when had as it is, but to make it more healthy and tasty, here are a few suggestions. This is not much of a recipe, but a rough guide to make the fruit and its juice taste better.

While making water melon juice drop an inch of ginger in the juicer along with the fruits. The juice extracted will taste sweet, with a mild gingery flavour.

For the melon balls in syrup, boil some sugar, with a little water, few ginger strips and lemon peel which is cut into strips. Boil until the syrup is slightly thick and sticky. Pour the syrup over the melon balls and toss it to coat well. These melon balls will taste sweet, with a light flavour of ginger and lemon. Rock melons can also be used along with the water melon.

By the way I finally got these beautiful crystal ramekins from Currimboys in chennai, after a few failed search in poppat jamals and other stores. Now people in Chennai will know where to find ramekins.

Burfi - Chikki - Indian snack bars

Burfi or chikki is usually named after the main ingredient that is used, which may be  peanuts, almonds, cashews or sesame seeds. In order to make a healthy snack bar, I have a used a combination of nuts and cereals to make this sweet and crispy burfi or chikki.

Ingredients
Oats                                       1/2 cup
white sesame seeds             1/2 cup
Sunflower seeds                   1/4 cup
Melon seeds                         1/4 cup
Nuts                                       1/2 cup ( I used a mixture of Almonds, Cashews and Apricot kernels, chopped)
Groundnuts                          1/2 cup
Melted jaggery                     1 1/4 cup


Method
Roast each ingredient separately on medium heat, except jaggery until they change into light golden colour.
Take the melted jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel and bring to a boil.
Continue to boil until the syrup thickens to the right consistency ( ball stage-see tips )
Remove from heat and add in all the roasted ingredients and mix well.
Transfer this to a greased tray and level the mixture.
Let it cool slightly cut into squares or rectangles and when cooled completely store in an air tight container.

Note:
Can add cardamom powder, ginger powder if desired.
The burfi will not look glossy after 24 hours.
It will stay good for a week.

Cumin Rice and Baked Chicken

           Cumin rice is a simple rice dish that can be prepared in times of emergency. I have combined the rice with tomato raita and baked chicken. It won’t be bad to have a curry along with this combo, but I wasn’t in any mood to prepare and so that’s missing here, nevertheless it makes a good meal.

Cumin Rice  -   Jeera Rice
Ingredients
Basmati Rice       200 gms
Onion                  2
Green Chilly       2
Cinnamon           1
Cumin                2 tsps
Cashew              10
Oil                      11/2 tbsps
Ghee                   1tsp  (optional)

Method
Wash and soak rice in water.
Heat oil and the ghee in a pan, add the cinnamon, cashews and stir until the cashew turns golden colour.
Add cumin seeds and stir. Add the sliced onions, green chillies and saute until the onions are pink and soft.
Add 4 cups of water, salt and bring to a boil. ( can use the water, the rice is soaked)
Add the soaked rice to the pan, stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Serve hot.
Since the rice is aromatic and light, it is best, when served with a spicy curry.

Baked Chicken
Chicken                                     1 k
Curd                                          200 ml
Cumin powder                         1 1/2 tsps
Chilly + coriander powder    4 tsps
Turmeric powder                    1/2tsp
Salt                                            1tsp
Lemon Juice                             1 tsp
Garam masala powder            1tsp
Ginger garlic paste                  2 1/2 tsps

Method
Combine everything from curd to ginger garlic paste in a wide bowl, add the chicken pieces and mix well until the chicken is coated well with the masala.
Let the chicken marinate for about 10 to 15 hours in the fridge.
Thread on to skewers and bake at 200*c for 20 minutes on one side and 20 minutes on the other.
Brush some oil now and then, as the chicken bakes.
When done, drizzle lemon juice on the baked chicken before serving.

Note:
The curd used is hung curd, which means the curd is placed in a muslin cloth or in a strainer that is kept over an empty bowl. The thick curd collects on the cloth or the strainer while all the liquid gets drained out. I used about 200 ml curd, which was placed in a strainer for about 10 to 15 minutes, which was reduced to 150 ml after the loss of water.
For a spicy chicken, add more chilly powder.