Thursday, June 20, 2013

Gingersnaps


Hi Friends

It's been a while since I posted. I was busy with my home renovation project, it's still not complete but let me post this recipe for good old world gingersnaps which I just made for my family to have with tea. 

The last 2 days were sunny here and now the rain is back. With weather like that you need to eat right, grab a gingersnap and experience what I am recommending here. 

This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com. I have used jaggery instead of molasses. I skipped the cinnamon, why is the west so obsessed with it? gingersnaps can do without it. Isn't gimger the star spice here! I used Dalda for the fat. Ok don't scold me but certain things like gingersnaps taste goooood with it. Plus I never buy Dalda but right now that's what I found in my SIL's kitchen.

Well I'll let you mark it not so heart healthy. But you bet you can't say no to a still warm cookie that's oven fresh!

Ingredients

2 cups maida / all purpose flour
1 cup regular granulated sugar
1/4 cup jaggery
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Dalda/ margarine
3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2-3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup castor sugar for coating

In a large mixing bowl cream together the Dalda and 1 cup regular sugar. Add the jaggery, salt, milk and ginger to it and mix well. Finally add the maida and baking powder. Make a dough.

Divide the dough into 24 equal parts. Roll into balls and coat with castor sugar. Press down the balls and shape into a thickness you prefer. I made few really thin and they are the snappiest!

Bake at 200deg Celsius on convection mode. It took me 20 mins to bake 1/4 inch thick cookies, 6 at a  time in a 9 x 13 cookie tray.

The cookies will get a lovely golden color. If you want a shade darker bake for 5 mins more. This is a  picture clicked on the iPad will post better ones later, after my home is fully functional. Until then enjoy the Gingersnaps on a rainy day with a cup of chai as you wonder about the joys of nature and pitter patter.

Saturday, June 01, 2013

Colocassia Stems Koshimbir



When I was a kid, I would hate it if anyone made use of things like vegetable peels, stems etc. to create a new dish. To the point that I would avoid it and call the person miserly and turn my nose on it.

There was this aunt of mine who did it often. She used peels stems and everything to create yummy stuff. That's what I think now. Back then she was hated for being disciplinarian and making me eat those scraps of waste!

You will appreciate her ingenuity now. Whenever she made Alu vadi she also made this koshimbir. She would say when leaves are loved  why not the stalks. She taught me as a kid to peel the stalks of colocassia  with skill as she would sit me next to her as she slathered the Alu leaves with the sourish besan paste on the leaves. She would to engage me put a little of that paste on my lil palm and ask, does it taste good? Is the salt right? It made one feel so important. You were the one that could make or break the dish with your verdict! I would nod my head with all air of authority and tell her perfect as I make a circle with my thumb and fore finger. Else would say add more tamarind or spice. You know how lil connoisseur's are ;)

Meanwhile my smart aunt would have got done the peeling of the stalks by me. She would instruct. Hold the stalk, section it halfway thru its thickness and peel of the skin with the sections. The skin is waxy and when removed leaves behind a spongy stalk. The stalk when soaked in the curd is delicious.

Ingredients

1/2 peeled colocassia stalks sectioned into small bits
1 cup curd
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon oil

Heat oil in a small vessel. Splutter mustard and asafoetida in the hot oil. Add the sectioned colocassia stalks in it. Cook till done. The stalks look pale once done. Add curd to it.

Let the flavours steep for 10 mins before you serve. 


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