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) :)
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.
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.
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).
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!
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 
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.
If it were India,I would traditionally use a special instrument used for making such kind of fritters called “सोऱ्या” (pronounced as SORYA).However,I did not have it in US.One gets such tools at some Indian stores for minimum 25 $ which is sold in India for 100 Rs max (@ 2 USD)! Cannot afford such splurge! Instead would prefer to buy expensive cushion sets from 
Dhana,my first “वाहिनी/भाभी” (vahini/bhabhi-cousin brother’s wife) but more of a friend than “something in law”.I always wanted to make up to her for introducing her to the weird thought of a “mango cake” which looked awesome but turned out to be a better throw disc for my little nephew Neel.Its her birthday today and certainly my chance to apologize and wish her all the very best for every cooking adventure as well as bets on my recipes! 
