“पाकातल्या पुऱ्या” (Indian Sugar-Kissed Cookies)

The last sweet food in Diwali Schedule!!!

My Aai (mother) is a lovely cook.While growing up,she taught me the art of associating food with tastes & textures.

Mamma (mother) said “taste” is the appreciation of tongue for the accurate appraisal (appraisal is ascending or descending too :P) of the first tantalizing touch of food and “texture” is the quality of the contents (condiments) that caters to the glutton’s gastronomy!

Very interesting definitions,aren’t they?

I thought of selecting a recipe for “Indian Sugar Kissed Cookies” that could suit the taste & texture preferences of international audiences as much as my Desi (Indians) brigade.With Halloween (31st October),Thanks-giving (4th Thursday in November for US),Turkey,Christmas (25th December) & New year (1st January) lined up back-to back,this one’s a sure winner for kids & grown-ups.

Presenting the traditional,home-made Indian Sugar Kissed Cookies !

Ingredients

• 1 muffin-full bowl of fine Semolina-My last experience with kneading semolina wasn’t great,so used only 3 tbsps of it for texture.
• 1 muffin-full bowl of all purpose flour (maida)-Instead of using semolina as the main ingredient I used all purpose flour since its easy to deal with.One can substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour or use the two in half-half proportions.
• 1 and half muffin-full bowls of sugar (quantity may vary)
• 1 tsp oil for kneading.I did not put hot oil into the flour as mentioned in the original recipe.
• Ghee /cooking oil for frying-I used olive oil to fry.However,one may choose to bake the cookies too.
• A pinch of eating soda
• Salt to taste.
• Few strands of saffron.
• 2 tsp cardamom powder-I added it to the dough while kneading it instead of adding it to the Sugar syrup for two reasons,to avoid loss of its distinct flavour while cooking the syrup and to avoid any wastage due to sticking of the powder on sides of the saucepan.
• 2 tsp nutmeg powder-Its my addition and I put it in while kneading the dough.
• Few drops of lemon juice (optional)-This is to be added to the sugar syrup.
• Dry fruit powder (my suggestion)-I did not use it though,but if kids are to eat this one must sprinkle a little dry fruit powder over the sugar kissed cookies.
• 3 tbsp plain curd (sour) or yogurt-I used the usual plain yogurt which wasn’t sour.
• 5 tsp poppy seeds (my addition)-I dipped the dough balls into some poppy seeds for texture before frying them.
• 1 muffin-full bowl of water for syrup.

Total Time=Cooking Time+Preparation Time=150 minutes.

Roll Thy Balls,Fry them Flat avec Kisseth de Sucre

This recipe could be simplified in 3 easy steps(I found it easy to follow them as its difficult to nose around the book while cooking :P)namely: Knead the dough-I mixed semolina,all purpose flour,nutmeg powder,soda,cardamom powder,little oil and yogurt to knead it into a less softer dough.Then,I set it aside for 2 hours (my suggestion-wrap in a tissue napkin,so that it does not get too dry or too moist).I made small dough balls post 2 hours.

 Roll the dough Balls-2 hours later,I rolled the dough balls (pressed them into poppy seeds) into small,thick circles (any shape is fine,circular is traditional one). Heat the Oil/Ghee-I added the thick circles to the hot oil and fried them.I moved them onto a tissue paper to drain extra oil from them.

Slide them into the Syrup-I made the syrup heating water & sugar together.Then I added the crushed saffron sticks for a wonderful orange colour.As the book suggests,one may add food colour to the syrup or to the dough while kneading,but I refrain from usage of artificial colours.I slowly pushed the “puris” or fried cookies into the syrup and allowed them to rest within for a while.

I arranged the cookies on my serving plate…shiny and sweet,round are they,absolutely stunning piece of art!Introduce the gen-next to the traditional yet trendy Indian Sugar kissed Cookies! These cookies could be stored for about a week..

One Halloween tip:To add some crunch to the cookies,try stuffing a walnut in each cookie while rolling them!

Treat for 10 kids (10 cookie recipe) :)

“कडबू” (Baked Stuffed Wheat Cookies)

October is one of my favourite seasons.In the midst of fall colours,a beautiful array of birthdays & anniversaries always lined up.A bunch of happiness and reason to celebrate with loved ones.

This 20th October,Aai celebrates her 62nd birthday!!Born is 1947, she is almost as old as Independent India.An economics graduate & perfectionist by choice,Aai chose to remain a Home-maker to shape my future so thoughtfully.

We have nothing in common,yet we are similar.She has been my best critic.While I lived in India,she managed everything so wonderfully for me.Realized her importance in my life only when I started living on my own in US (post marriage).She has been the oxygen supply for all these years and I truly miss her.

I have learnt the methodic way to work on details and achieve finesse from her.

There is a lot more to write & share.But,some things are better unsaid than said,and felt than expressed!

So,here’s a birthday recipe to express my feelings for you.Aai enjoys one of Nana’s (my mother’s father) favourite sweets “Kadbu” (Baked Stuffed Wheat cookies) a lot.So,following the festive mood,made these wonderful baked cookies for her.

Ingredients

• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of chana daal/gram-I cooked it in the pressure cooker with 1 cm deep water above the daal.The book just suggests to cook it and drain the water from it.No particular method to cook it is suggested.Instead of using the traditional Indian “puran yantra” (a sort of grinder),I used the blender and made a thick coarser paste of it.
• 1 muffin-full bowl of sugar or jaggery
• 1-2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1-2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2-3 stands on saffron (my addition)
• khoya or khava (condensed milk powder or cubed)-Its an optional addition mentioned in the book,but I added a piece of kaju katli mithai.I did not roast it as mentioned in the book.
• dry fruits-I added 2 tbsp of dry fruit powder.
• 1 muffin-full bowl of wheat flour
• 3 tbsp of all purpose flour (my addition)
• 1 tbsp of oil
• ghee for frying-I baked the cookies instead of frying them.
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Total Time=Cooking Time+Preparation Time=20 minutes.

Stuff it ,Pattern it & Bake it Up

For the outer crust:I made a hard dough kneading the wheat flour & all purpose flour with oil and salt to taste.I made small dough balls for later usage (5 nos).

For the Stuffing:I saved on time because of pressure cooking the chana daal.I softened it with a spoon and added nutmeg powder,cardamom powder,sugar,dry fruits powder,saffron and khoya mithai to it.However,I did not add the roasted poppy seeds to this mixture.I mixed it well and put it in microwave for a minute or so.This mixture may be a little liquid,in that case add khoya or cooked chana daal to it.This shall allow the stuffing to remain within the crust and not burst open.

Pattern & Bake:I pre-heated my oven @ 350 deg F. I dipped small dough balls into the poppy seeds and rolled them into flat rounds/puris.I put the stuffing on the plane side (side without poppy seeds) such that the other half of the puri could cover it when folded.I sealed the edges of the half-circled unbaked cookie with fingers.I was in a mood to show off my brand new pastry wheel,so used it to create a pattern on edges.But,its not mandatory!

I put the uncooked cookies into the oven.And,in few minutes….crunchy,sweet cookies were on table.Traditional,yet modern “Kadbu”/"Baked-Stuffed Wheat Cookies” were all set for a click!!Cheers to Aai and a very happy birthday to her!

“Padwa”with Sweet Potato (Yam) Munchkins (रताळ्याचे काप)

This is the very first Diwali after marriage and hence “Padwa” would mark the beginning of gifts by demand from Rohan as per the Hindu Sanskruti! The custom is to do “औक्षण” and receive gifts as well as do namaskar (worship the husband like god and receive blessings) from him.The “औक्षण”  and receiving the gifts part sound interesting, :P (lets do without the namaskaar part of it,what say girls?).

Rohan got me a beautiful pair of earrings from Kohl’s & a long desired fancy Corningware (Corelle) Factory crockery set!! So,seems like a very handsome beginning! I m going to make him happy as well! So,"Paneer Chili”  (an appetizer with Indian cottage cheese with chilies) & “Ratalyache Kaap” (Sweet Potato Munchkins) shall be laid on the platter for my Sweetheart :)

  Unfortunately,the book has a recipe for the Sweet Potato Munchkins but not for the other dish.Hence,putting only the Sweet Munchkin Recipe here for you guys!

Total Time=Cooking Time+ Preparation Time=10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato/Yam thinly sliced into circles or quarters(Indian sweet potatoes are white while American yams are orangish when de-skinned).
• 1 and half muffin-full bowls of sugar or jaggery.I used sugar,however the quantity may differ.
• 1-2 tbsp of ghee
• 1 and half muffin-full bowl of water
• 1tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder (my addition)
• 1-2 cloves (my addition)

Slice Up & Caramelize the Munchkins

The sweet munchkins are absolutely easy to make.Quick sweet! However,I wasn’t not quite sure if my husband would like it,so making it only a bowl full!

I began with caramelizing the yam slices in ghee with cloves.I allowed it to caramelize it for 5-6 minutes until the yam absorbed ghee completely.

 

 

Then,I moved them out of the saucepan and spread them over a paper napkin to absorb all the excess ghee.While my napkins were stabilizing the calorimeter of sweet potatoes,I made the sugar syrup for the munchkins.

My Aai does not make a sugar syrup,instead adds the sugar to caramelized sweet potatoes.However,I wanted to taste the output of munchkins as per Kamala Aji’s method so made the syrup separately by boiling sugar and water together in the proportions mentioned in the ingredients,stirring it continuously.Sometimes,the recipes suggest on addition of some lime juice to such a sugar syrup,but Kamala Aji hasn't added any,so I skipped it too!

Once the syrup started the boil,I added the caramelized yams,nutmeg powder and cardamom powder to it.As suggested by the book Ruchira,I kept stirring the sugar syrup-yam mix until the syrup got exhausted & the mixture was dry.

Yummmm! these munchkins tasted like heaven! In fact,the taste was unique and better than my Aji’s (Granny)..he he!

Treat your hubbies with these munchkins!

Happy Balipratipada (new year) and Bhaubheej (a festival of brothers and sisters).

“सुक्या-मेव्याची पेशवाई खीर” (Dry Fruit Porridge)

The “Peshwa” (hindi:पेशवा, plural Peshwe, Marathi:पेशवे) were Brahmin Prime Ministers to the Maratha Chattrapatis (Kings), who lead Maratha armies and became the hereditary rulers of the Maratha empire of central India from 1749 to 1818. Prior to 1700 Peshwa enjoyed the status of king for eight or nine years. They oversaw the greatest expansion of the Maratha Empire in 1760’s.Their culture,heritage & luxurious style of living has had a great influence on the way of life of the entire civilization in Pune.

My paternal grand-mother hailed from Hasabnis family who served as Sardars (generals) to Peshwas.

Vasant Kaka (Rohan’s father,I fondly address him as uncle) reminds me of the Peshwe era in some ways.His charm,wit,sophistication, love for art & good food make him perfect to be born a Peshwa!In his own way,he is a King.The king who is generous at heart yet a family man.

 “Badam Sheera” (Almond thick porridge) is one thing he loves to eat and Hema Athya (Rohan’s mother,I fondly address her as paternal aunty) has to make efforts to keep him away from sweets (for obvious reasons).However,its Diwali and I could not stop myself from finding a suitable recipe for his likes.Although,Ruchira did not have a recipe for Badam Sheera,it did have one for “Badam Kheer” (an almond liquid consistency porridge) which I m going to enrich with other dry fruits.

This is my Diwali Gift for Vasant Kaka (hopefully,Hema Athya would relax the diet restrictions for a day in Diwali & make it soon :)

Ingredients

• 1/4 muffin-full bowl of Finely powdered Dry Fruits.I used raisins,walnuts,pistachios,almonds,cashews.One may follow the book’s method of soaking almonds in hot water to de-skin and later crush them thoroughly with pestle & mortar ,which I skipped.
• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of dates+poppy seed+sugar mixture (left over of the dates paratha i had made earlier this week,my addition)
• 2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 2 mugs full of low fat milk
• 1/8 muffin-full bowl of heavy cream
• 4-5 strands of saffron-soaked in 2-3 tbsp of milk
• 1 tbsp pure ghee-I would not suggest any thing else for this recipe.(my addition)
• 2 cloves-powdered (my addition)
• 1 small piece of cinnamon-powdered (my addition)
• sugar

Stir thy Soul

The Book’s method: Its pretty simple and non-fuss.Boil the milk and add the crushed almonds in it along with cardamom powder & sugar.Allow this porridge to cook for 5-8 minutes or until the milk thickens considerably.

I want it my way: I sautéed the powdered dry fruits & dates mix in some ghee on medium flame.Simultaneously,I boiled the milk and heavy cream.I pushed  the sautéed dry fruits and dates mix into the boiled,thick milk.Allowed it to boil for some time,I transferred the saffron,cardamom powder,clove powder,cinnamon powder & nutmeg powder into it.I was stirring it continually,until my hand and back paved way for a tired fall on sofa (:P)!!

Anyway,the Kheer was awesome! I love it chilled as well as hot! Choose your pick!!

 I really miss serving to Vasant Kaka.How I wish he was here with us in US?! Hope,he is listening (reading) what my diwali wish is!!

“चिक्कूच्या वड्या” (Manilkara achras sweet munchkins)

Its festive season.Visiting friends & family or having them for supper would be the most common activities over this fortnight beginning with “Vasu Baras” and ending with “Tulshi che lagna/tulsi ki shaadi” (mythological concept of Lord Vishnu getting married to Goddess Tulsi/holy basil plant goddess).

The most common sweets become boring within first few visits.However,I m going to try something innovative & interesting.Absolutely “jara hatke” (something unique-slang used in Bollywood) style !!

My source book has a series of recipes for “barfis” & “mithais” (flavoured sweet condensed milk goodies).However,I love the concept of fruit based goodies very much.The usual fruit sweets are made of mango,strawberries & oranges.But,I would be using “Chikoo” (Manilkara achras) instead of coconut in the coconut barfi recipe.

Total Time=Cooking Time+Preparation Time=30-40 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 muffin-full bowl of chikoo pulp (instead of coconut)-I used frozen chikoos and made a pulp of them in the mixer.Its always better to use fresh ones.
• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of heavy cream (my addition-not mandatory)
• 1/4 muffin-full bowl of Crushed dry-fruit mixture (my addition)
• 5 tbsp of milk powder
• 1 glass of low fat milk (sweetened condensed milk may also be used)
• 2 and 1/2 muffin-full bowls of sugar (quantity depends on quality,use discretion)
• 2 tsp-cardamom powder
• 2 tsp nutmeg powder (my addition)
• 1 small piece of cinnamon-I powdered the cinnamon.(my addition)
• 1-2 cloves-I powdered the cloves (my addition)
• khoya/khawa-I had some Kaju katli (cashew nut munchkins),so crushed them with other dry ingredients and added. (my addition)
• 1 tsp pure ghee or oil-to grease the sheet.

Pour It Flat

As given in the book’s recipe for Coconut Barfi,I did not add milk,sugar and fruit together in the pot over flame.I boiled the milk and half portion of heavy cream together.

 

I blended the sugar,chikoo and the remaining portion of the heavy cream in the blender.I added this frothy mixture into the boiling milk.Allowed to cook together and added rest of the dry ingredients into it.

One has to keep stirring it often to avoid burning the batter for the munchkins.Apart from that,I feared that the milk powder might get stuck to the bottom of the pan , so kept stirring it (was wondering about washing comfort :P).

The mixture would be thick in sometime.However,it would not have the consistency of Coconut barfi batter.The coconut barfi batter is thicker and coarser unlike this one.I poured it into a greased steel plate (glass or cookie sheet would also be fine).One needs to keep it to set for some time.

I sprinkled the freshly powdered dry fruits over it.

 “Yum-Yum Sweet Munchkins spread on the snack table could win accolades for the chef’s culinary & creative skills!!”

“वेलदोड्याचे शंकरपाळे” (Diamond shaped sweet cookies)

One of my all time favourite Diwali snack is “shankarpala” or “shakkarpara”.Crispy,sweet & crunchy.Ruchira had an ultimate recipe for my favourite sweet snacker!

The only thing that one needs to possess while making a delicacy of any origin is Determination,Patience and Perseverance! So,wrap up all the impulsiveness & extend your tolerance limits.Once, the basics are with you,the journey is relatively smooth.

I have received mails from few amongst the ardent readers of Cookwithmoi appreciating the object of this blog.Progressively,the projects would vary but the Determination,Patience and Perseverance would persist.

On that note,let me introduce the ingredients required to make Veldodyache Shankarpale (cardamom flavoured diamond shaped sweet cookies).

Total Time=Cooking Time +Preparation Time=2 hours 45 min.

Ingredients

• 2 muffin-full bowls of all purpose flour (maida).Aai uses half-half portion of wheat flour & all purpose flour,one may opt for that.However,I followed the book and used maida.
• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of hot pure ghee for kneading the dough (मोहन).
• 1 and half muffin-full bowls of sugar.The quantity of sugar might seem to be more,but the sugar in US is processed & less sweet than the coarser one in India.However,I would suggest that readers must use their  discretion.
• Salt to taste
• 1/8 muffin-full bowl of milk to knead the dough.
• Pure ghee for frying-I used a combination of ghee and vegetable cooking oil instead of entire quantity of pure ghee.
• 1-2 tsps cardamom powder-(my addition)
• 2 pinches of eating soda (my addition)

Knead the Dough,Origami & Deep frying

After adding soda,salt,hot ghee,cardamom powder and sugar to the maida,I mixed it well with hands.I prefer using a flat cookie tray or likewise so that one can play with the dough enough without getting stuff around dirty.I kneaded the mixture with milk (water is also fine).Then,I set the dough aside for 2 hours.

2 hours later,I divided the dough into small balls @ 5 nos.Then,Rohan rolled every ball (one at a time) into a flat (not very thin) roti.Using the Paula Deen Pastry Wheel,cut it criss-cross to form numerous rhombus.That’s the conventional shape,any other would also be fine.

The ghee-vegetable oil mixture had been heating over a medium-high flame.To verify that the temperature was optimum,I made a very tiny-miny ball of the dough and pushed it in.The ball rose up soon.

I slowly put the diamond shaped roti pieces into the oil-ghee pan that Rohan passed on to me.Allowed them to fry until golden or a little darker would also do for me since they taste really awesome.However,take care that they don’t burn.

 

 

 

 

Laid them over tissue to take off all the excess ghee.Finally,the perfect bite…crispy & crunchy,sweet & yummy!

 

 

As Madhulika says,Enjoyyy the Diwali Pahat (early hours of post mid-night-early morning of Diwali) with loved ones :)

“ओल्या नारळाची करंजी” (Stuffed Semi-Circular Sweet Fritters)

Diwali is just a threshold away from today and preparations to celebrate the festival must be in full swing within most of the households.Diwali is not just about eating good food and lights but also surprises,gifts etc.Flowing with the “festive mood” of surprises,we have a pleasant one for the readers of CookWithMoi .A guest blogger!

Our Guest Of Honour

Sheetal Joshi-Kulkarni,my hubby’s cousin from LA (an artist by vocation) but an extremely gifted Cook too.I m so glad that she shall be the guest blogger.Most of her recipes are unique and extremely tasty!  Sheetal ,I sure owe you a big thank-you!

She has been sweet enough to send me “The Making Of Karanji” ,so let’s enjoy & feast over the munchkins in her own words with reference to the book!

Ingredients

• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of semolina
• 1/2 muffin-full bowl of all purpose flour/maida
• milk
• 1/2 portions of whole coconut (frozen shredded shavings of coconut are available in most of the Indian stores, Sheetal used the frozen version)
• 1 tsp cardamom (Sheetal is allergic to cardamom,so she did not use it.But,you guys can definitely add it for flavour & fragrance)
• 2 tbsp of pure ghee
• 1 muffin-full bowl of sugar (the quantity may differ with type of sugar,the proportion shall be the same)
• 1/2 tsp rice flour (But I did not add it,since its not mandatory)
• pure ghee/Vanaspati ghee/vegetable oil for frying.I used vegetable oil for frying (diet conscious you see :P)

One Important Tip from Sheetal

When you have to make Karanjis in a jiffy,Wanton Wraps (available @ most American & Indian Stores) could prove a quick way to make outer shell for the “Karanjis” and relieve you from the pains of making the outer crust.

Origami With Home-made Wraps

I kneaded the semolina & maida with milk (water may be used as well) such that it has a harder consistency.This dough is for the outer crust.After an hour,I hammered it with the pestle ( बत्ता) and made small balls of it.

 

 

For the fillet,I cooked coconut & sugar together and made a soft mixture of it.This is called as “Saran”/stuffing (सारण).Just before the stuffing is about to completely cook ,I added the ghee (rice flour if desired could be added too).If one wants to add cardamom or nutmeg,this is the time to do so.Many prefer to add some “gulkand” (sweetened rose petals used for fragrance) and khoya/khava (solidified condensed milk) into the filling.If you wish to add any of these then for half muffin-full bowl portion of gulkand/khava a minimum of 1/4 muffin-full bowl of sugar should be added.

I rolled the dough balls (made for outer crust) into small,flat puris(circular shaped).Then,I took the puri in my hand and put the filling on half side of the puri.Once that was done,I covered the stuffed side of the puri with the other half of the puri (flap like) and closed it by pressing with fingers on sides.

 

 

Traditionally,the sealed edges are made zig-zag with a wheel-spoon headed aid (काताणे).Its difficult to get it here,so one could use a pizza cutter for sharp circle edges (like I did).However,its not mandatory!

I put the vegetable oil in a deep kadhai (saucepan) over medium high flame.Fry the fritter until pink-golden.Serve them as fresh snacks!

Wow…just looking at those pictures CookWithMoi is already hungry!Wish I was personally there in LA to relish the awesome looking Karanjis!

One quick idea: Instead of the sweet stuffing,try adding any vegetable with spices and make the outer shell with just all purpose flour (add salt,cumin seeds to taste in it while kneading,knead with water and hot oil),then fry them in vegetable oil.Spicy Karanjis  are equally yummy!

Sheetal you are going to be envied by all the readers of Cookwithmoi including Moi!

Once again,Thanks a tonne Sheetal for the appetizing Diwali Dhamaka Recipe:)