Nankhatai – Eggless Indian Cookies / Cookies Recipe

      
          Nankhattai are short bread Indian cookies also called Nan khatai. It is a simple egg less cookies made with flour, semolina, sugar and ghee. Spices like cardamom added to give an extra zing to the cookies. You can add any nuts to garnish the cookies. Nankhattai are perfect accompaniment for afternoon tea or coffee.


Ingredients for Nankhattai

     Servings : 15 Cookies

  • 1/2 Cup of All Purpose Flour / Maida
  • 1/3 Cup of Semolina (Sooji / Rava)
  • 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp of Castor Sugar
  • 1/8 Tsp of Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Cup of Clarified Butter (Ghee)
  • 2 -3 Tbsp of Milk
  • 3 Cardamom, Powdered with mortar and pestle
  • 1 Tbsp of Whole Wheat Flour
  • Few cashew nuts

 

Method for Nankhattai

  • In a bowl, add maida, whole wheat flour, castor sugar, cardamom powder, baking soda and sooji, mix it well with hand.
  • Add ghee little by little and mix it with flour, once the ghee has mixed well with the mixture. Add milk, little by little, mix well till the dough is formed. Knead the dough till you get soft.
  • Divide the dough into equal parts, and use palm of your hand and make little balls out of the dough, approximately you will get 15 balls.
  • Cookies gets flat and cracked when you bake so your balls should be smooth and without cracks.
  • Place the balls in a baking tray, using knife, make a dent at the top of the cookie dough balls. Garnish with cashew pieces.
  • In the mean time, preheat the oven to 300 Degree F.
  • Place the baking tray in refrigerator for 10 mins.
  • After 10 mins, place the baking tray in oven for 20 -25 mins. My cookies took 22 mins to bake.
  • Let them cool completely and enjoy with coffee or tea.
  • Store the remaining cookies in an airtight container.

     

       
     Tips

  • If you find your dough is sticky, then add 1 or 2 tbsp of flour and then knead it..
  • Keep an eye on cookies while baking, it should not turn to brown color.
  • Adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.
  • Make castor sugar by grinding regular sugar.

      Recipe slightly adapted from Chef Annuradha

          



Vazhakkai Bajji / Raw Banana Bhajji / Bajji Recipes



         Here it comes a most popular South Indian snack – Bajji / Bhajji. Bajji is a hot, crispy evening tea time snack. It is a dish prepared by dipping sliced raw banana in gram dal -rice flour batter and finally deep frying it in a hot oil. You can make bajji with any vegetables like potato, onion and eggplant . Best accompaniment for this bajji are coconut chutney or peanut chutney and tea.

       Ingredients

          1 Big Vazhakkai / Raw Banana
          3/4 Cup of Gram (Besan) Flour
          1/4 Cup of Rice Flour
          1 Tsp of Corn Flour
          1/4 Tsp of Baking Soda
          A Pinch of Asafoetida
          1.5 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
          1 Tsp of Salt
          Water as needed , about 2/3 cup of water
          Oil for Frying


    Method

  • Wash and peel the skin of raw banana/ vazhakkai.
  • Slice them lengthwise into long and thin slices.
  • In a bowl, add besan flour, rice flour, corn flour, asafoetida, red chilly powder, baking soda, salt and add water little by little to get batter. Batter should not be too thick or too thin.
  • In the meantime, heat oil in a shallow pan for deep frying.
  • When oil gets hot (323 degree F), dip the banana slices in the batter and make sure it is coated well on both sides.
  • Carefully drop the slices one by one into the oil, cook them until it turns golden brown color on both sides.
  • Transfer them to a paper towel(Tissue paper) lined container to absorb oil.
  • Serve immediately with tea and coconut chutney or peanut chutney. 



     Tips

  • Addition of asafoetida is for digestion.
  • You can add pinch of orange food color, to get colorful bajji.
  • Adjust the amount of red chilly powder and salt accoeding to your taste.
  • Always cook in a medium high flame.


    Health Benefits of Vazhakkai / Raw Banana

  • Good source of resistant starch, a type of starch that cannot be broken down by enzymes in our digestive system, acts like fiber than starch, good for diabetes. 
  • High in potassium and vitamin B6.
  • High in fiber content.



Portobello Mushroom Burger Recipe/ How to make Portobello Mushroom Burger


                          Love Mushroom..They are my family’s  favorite and a stable vegetable in my pantry. Portobello Mushroom are a great source of nutrients like potassium and selenium. They are a healthy substitution in a burger with less in calories. Portobello Mushroom Burger are the steak of the vegetable world. They taste delicious with a drizzle of olive oil and spices like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper added to it. Try this juicy, flavorful and full of deliciousness and let me know your feedback.

     Ingredients

              1 Portobello Mushroom
              2 Burger Buns
              1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
              1/8 Tsp of Red chilli Flakes
              1/2 Tsp of Garlic Powder
              Dash of Salt and Pepper 
              Dash of Italian Seasoning (Opt)
              2 Tbsp of Mayonnaise / Vegennaise
              Squeeze of Yellow Mustard
              1 Iceberg Lettuce
              2 White / Red Onion, Thick Slices       
              4 Tomato, Slices


     Other Ingredients

              Strips of Carrot

     Method

  • Wash and remove the stem of Portobello.
  • Preheat the cast iron pan over medium heat.
  • Add olive oil to a pan and add red chilli flakes, then place the Portobello mushroom cap, sprinkle garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper over the cap.
  • Cover the skillet with lid and grill it on both sides until it changes color and turns tender.
  • Grill the onion lightly on both sides.
  • Toast the burger buns, apply Mayonnaise / Vegennaise on each side of burger buns.
  • Now assemble the bun : Place the Iceberg lettuce above the mayonnaise side of burger bun, on top of that place the tomato slices, slice of onion, grilled Portobello mushroom cap, slice of onion, above that again add tomato slices and a squeeze of yellow mustard. Finally cover it with the burger bun.
  • Serve immediately with ranch, french fries / strips of carrot (for healthier version) and a club soda.


    Tips

  •  You can use whole wheat or white buns to make burger.
  •  You can also have a slice of provolone cheese or any cheese of your choice.
  •  You can grill the Portobello either on cast iron pan or outdoor grill.

            
    Health Benefits of Portobello Mushroom        

  • Portobello is a great source of riboflavin, panthothenic acid, niacin, thiamine, folate, selenium, lyseine, protein, zinc, copper, manganese, and iron. 
  • Low in calories and high in fiber.
  • Good source of phytochemicals, helps to support immune system.
  • Rich in anti-oxidants L-ergothioneine.
  • Reduce risk of Alzheimer disease.
  • Anti-cancer property.  
  • sending recipe to Guru’s cooking