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Shakarpara: A sweet treat

Shakarpara means sugar treats. These are small diamond shaped sweets usually made during Diwali or other festivals. These sweets can be stored in air tight containers for 3-4 weeks.

Ingredients:
Approx. 12 servings

• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• All purpose flour (Maida) - 1/2 cup
• Ghee or butter  - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Milk  - 1/4 cup
• Cooking oil for frying

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, all purpose flour and ghee. Mix well.
2. Ina sauce pan, combine milk sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring it to a boil till the sugar dissolves completely. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
3. Now add sugar syrup little by little to the flour mixture and knead it into stiff dough.
4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
5. Heat the oil in a pan for frying on medium heat.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take each part and roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick sheet.
7. Cut the sheet into small diamond shapes with the help of knife or the pizza cutter.
8. Carefully fry these diamonds in the medium hot oil till it becomes golden on both sides.
9. Drain them on the kitchen towel and cool them completely.
10. Once these diamond shaped shakarparas are completely cool, you can store them in air tight containers for 3-4 weeks.

Enjoy these sweet treats with a cup of coffee or masala tea.

Pinni: A traditional Punjabi sweet

Pinni is a traditional Punjabi sweet. It is usually prepared during winter in Punjabi households. It can be stored for almost a month in air tight container.

Ingredients:

Approx. 24 Pinnis

• Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
• Powdered Sugar -2 cups
• Khoya (Mawa) - 1 cup grated [optional]
• Almonds - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped
• Cashews - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped
• Clarified butter(Ghee) - 2 cups
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Milk - 3 tsp

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat ghee.
2. Add wheat flour and cook it on low flame.
3. Keep stirring continuously, till it becomes light brown.
4. Now add grated mawa or khoya to it. Mix well.
5. When flour is evenly browned and aromatic, add the sugar and stir for a minute.
6. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Add the almonds, cashews and cardamom powder.
8. Transfer it to a large plate and allow cooling a bit.
9. Mix the contents well. Drizzle the milk and mix well.
10. With the above mixture, start making ping pong size balls.
11. Decorate with chopped nuts.
12. Let the pinnis cool completely, before storing them in the airtight containers.
Enjoy pinnis all winter long after your meal or as an afternoon snack.

Namak pare: Holi Special

Namak Pare (Savory snacks)
These snacks are mostly prepared during festivals. But being such an easy recipe it can be enjoyed any time. Namak pare brings back lots of childhood memories. In our house hold, we enjoyed them year round. Thanks mom for such a wonderful snack!

Ingredients for Namak pare:

• All purpose flour (Maida) – 1.5 cups
• Semolina (Sooji) - 1/2 cup
• Carom seeds (Ajwain) - 1 tsp
• Yogurt  - 1/4 cup
• Butter/ Oil  - 2 tbsp
• Salt as per taste
• Cooking oil for frying
• Water to knead dough – 1/4 cup

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add all purpose flour and semolina.
2. Now add carom seeds, yogurt, 2 tbsp butter or oil and salt.
3. Knead it into a little stiff dough using very little water. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
4. Now divide the dough in 6 parts. Roll each part into a ball and keep aside.
5. With the help of rolling pin roll each ball into 10 inch diameter circles.
6. Cut these circles into thin strips and cut them again into 2-3 inch length.
7. Deep fry these pieces till light golden in medium hot oil.
8. Drain them on kitchen towel and let them cool completely.
9. Store these snacks in air tight containers for longer shelf life.

Enjoy Namak Pare with a cup of tea or your favorite drink anytime of the day.

Eggless Sponge Cake

 









Ingredients: For eggless sponge cake
Sweetened condensed milk – 1/2can
Self raising flour- 140 gms (5 oz.) or 1.25 cups
Baking powder – 1 tsp (leveled)
Baking soda or soda bi-carb – ½ tsp
Melted butter – 60 ml (2 fl.oz.)
Water – 75ml (2.5fl.oz.)
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 400 degrees (F).
• Grease 8 inches diameter cake pan.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
• Mix the flour mixture, condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla essence, water and beat well.
• Pour the mixture in the greased cake pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees (F) and bake for further 10 minutes or until cake starts leaving the pan from sides and an insert knife in the center of the cake come out clean.

• Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool off for few minutes.
• Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and place a flat plate over the cake pan and turn it over to transfer the cake on to the plate.
• Cool the cake completely before decorating.

Raj Kachori

Kachori is one of the most common western Indian snacks. It is great on its own with tea/coffee and even tastes better as assembled chaat. It lasts for a couple of weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack.

Ingredients:

For Raj Kachori [Approx 15 pieces]

For cover:

All purpose flour [Maida] – 2 cups
Melted butter or ghee – 2 tbsp
Water (enough to make firm dough)
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste

For Filling:

Moong dal [Yellow split] – 1.5 cups
Saunf [Fennel seeds] – 1 tsp
Ajwain [Carom seeds] – 1 tsp
Jira [Cumin seeds] – 1 tsp
Hing [Asafoetida powder] – 2 pinch
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Amchur powder – ½ tbsp
Garam masala powder -1 tsp
Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

To make filling:

• Soak moong dal for at least 4 hours.
• Steam moong dal till its half done. Keep aside to cool. In the food processer, coarsely ground the moong dal.
• In a pan, heat cooking oil. Add cumin seeds. When it starts splattering, add hing and steamed moong dal. Also add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, amchur powder and ajwain. Mix well.
• Cook till the filling is all dry. Keep aside to cool.

To make Kachoris:

• Combine all purpose flour, butter or ghee and salt. Mix evenly. Now add little by little water to make flaky dough.
• Knead well to make it firm dough.
• Keep the dough aside for 5-10 minutes.
• Take small ball size dough. Roll it into small circles. Place 1 tbsp of prepared filling in the centre and bring the edges together. Make an even ball; flatten it a bit by pressing your thumb in the center gently.
• Heat cooking oil for frying the kachoris. Oil should be medium hot.
• Deep fry kachoris very slowly till it is crisp and golden on both the sides.
• Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in an air tight container.

Note: Kachoris can have different fillings such as peas, mawa filling as dessert etc.

Serving Suggestions:

Assemble Raj kachori as chaat. Place 2 kachoris on a serving plate. Garnish it with sweet tamarind-date chutney, green chutney and spiced yogurt. Also add chopped red onion, namkeen sev and chopped cilantro.

Raj kachori is ready to be served.

Chakli or Murukku (Crispy savory snacks)

Chakli is a very common Maharashtrian snack. It is also called as Murukku in Southern India. It lasts for few weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack.

Ingredients:
For Chakli (25 pieces approx.)
Rice flour – 2.5 cups [Roasted]
Urad dal flour – ½ cups [Roasted]
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder- 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Water-1.5 cups (to make dough)
cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Combine rice flour, urad dal flour, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, red chili powder, asafoetida powder, butter and salt.
• Mix together well and add water very slowly to make dough. Knead well to make it like roti dough.
• With the help of chakli press, make chaklies on a piece of wax paper, so it will be easier to transfer it to the oil. It takes some practice to make the shape.

•   Heat cooking oil for frying the chaklis.
•   Carefully with the help of flat spatula, transfer chaklies to the oil.
•   Deep fry the chaklies till it is crisp and golden in color.
•   Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in a air tight container.

Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy Chakli with tea/coffee anytime.