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

          



Mooli Paratha / Mooli Ka Paratha / Radish Paratha


             Mooli means radish and paratha means flat bread, an Indian flatbread stuffed with radish. It is very popular in northern part of India. I always use radish to make sambar, for a change I made this paratha and the taste was so good. The one thing I liked about stuffed paratha is that, it does not need any separate side dish . But making stuffed paratha without the filling oozing out is an art but I am stilling learning to master it. Serve this delicious, filling paratha with plain yogurt or pickle.

     Ingredients

           1 and 1/4 Cup of White Radish, Grated
           2 Tsp of Coriander Powder
           Pinch of Turmeric Powder
           1 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
           1/4 Tsp of Cumin Powder
           1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala
           1/2 Tsp of Ginger , Grated
           1/4 Tsp of Ajwain / Omam
           2 Tsp of Oil

     To Make a Dough

           1.5 Cups of Wheat Flour/ Multigrains Flour
           2 Tsp of Oil
           Salt and water as needed


   Method       

  • Peel the skin of radish and finely grate it . Add little salt to it and sit for 10 mins. Squeeze out all excess of water.
  • In a wide bowl, add wheat flour, salt, oil and warm water. Mix well. Knead the dough like you do for chapathi. Keep aside for 15 mins.
  • Take a pan with oil, add ajwain, after sizzles, add grated ginger and fry for a min.
  • Add grated radish, fry for 1-2mins. To that add turmeric, coriander powder, red chilly powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Fry for 1-2 mins till all the water evaporates and it turns dry. Once it done, switch off the flame.
  • Stuffing is ready. Keep this aside.
  • Heat a tawa or chapathi pan. Meanwhile make a equally sized balls out of the dough , dust the counter top with some flour and roll it into a circular shape, keep the stuffing inside, fold the paratha and roll it into square shape. Carefully place the paratha in a pan.
  • Now cook the paratha in medium heat. When bubbles starts appearing, apply oil and flip it to the other side.Let the other side also get cooked.  
  • Serve it with onion raita or pickleor plain yogurt.

     
    Tips

  • If you find difficult to roll out the paratha, add little stuffing and then roll it. Otherwise still feel difficult, add the stuffing, directly to flour and then knead it with oil, salt and water.
  • Don’t add water while sauting the radish because it makes our rolling part difficult.
  • Addition of ajwain is for easy digestion.


    Health Benefits of Radish

  • Naturally cooling food.

  • Good for weight loss.

  • Sooth sore throats.

  • Aids in digestion.

  • Prevents cancer – Induces apotopsis, which means kills the cancer cells.

  • Good for heart and lungs health.

  • Prevents viral  infections and urinary tract infections.

  • Eliminates toxins, they are good detoxifier.

     



Peas Pulao Recipe / How to Make Peas Pulao

peas pulao recipe

                 Peas Pulao Recipe / Matar pulao / Pattani sadham is one of my favourite rice recipe and easy to make one pot meal. This is my mom’s recipe and my husband’s favourite dish too. Whenever he comes to my home, my mom prepares this rice and a mushroom gravy for him. He just loved it. You can make this peas pulao recipe either in stove top or in pressure cooker. This pulao can be done in 15 mins and it tastes yummy. It’s great to pack for lunch box for kids and adult. It goes well with any spicy gravy like aloo palak and cucumber raita.

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup of Basmati Rice
  • 1/2 Cup of Green Peas
  • 1 Large Red Onion, Finely Chopped
  • 3 Small Onion
  • 1 Tbsp of Fried Onions(Optional)
  • 5 Garlic Cloves
  • 2 -3 Green Chillies, slit
  • 2 Cloves
  • 1 Cinnamon
  • 1 Cardamom
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1/4 Tsp of Fennel Seeds
  • 5-7 Curry Leaves
  • 10 Mint Leaves
  • 2 Tbsp of Chopped Coriander Leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Cup of Water
  • 1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tsp of Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tsp of Oil
  • 2 Tsp of Ghee
peas pulao

Method

  • Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Drain the water and rinse it in tap water for 2 times. Keep this aside.
  • Heat oil and ghee in a cooker, add clove, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, fennel seeds, curry leaves. Saute this for few secs. Add chopped red onion, small onions, green chillies and salt, saute this for 2 mins until it turns golden brown.
  • Add garlic cloves, fry for a min.
  • Add mint leaves, coriander leaves and peas, fry this for a min.
  • Add rice, saute this for a min.
  • Add water, coconut milk and fried onion, mix well. Check the salt. Close the pressure cooker with a lid and cook for 2 whistles. Turn off the flame. Let the pressure release on its own.
  • Open the cooker, add lemon juice, mix gently with a fork or spoon.
  • Serve hot with any spicy gravies like aloo palak and raita. I had with mushroom korma.

Tips

  • You can use ginger garlic paste instead of using whole garlic cloves.
  • Adding fried onions are optional.
  • Use lot of small onions instead of large onion, if you want more taste.
  • If you don’t have coconut milk, just use water alone.
  • Don’t break the rice while mixing.
  • Addition of lemon juice gives a mild tangy taste.
  • Rice : water ratio is for 1 cup of rice :1.5 cups of water.

Health Benefits of Peas

  • They are low in fat.
  • Prevents stomach cancer.
  • Anti-aging, strong immune system and energy.
  • Prevention of wrinkles.
  • Regulates blood sugar levels.

how to make peas pulao

Tags :green peas pulao, pulao recipe, peas pulao, peas pulao recipe, matar pulao, mutter pulao, how to make peas pulao, how to prepare peas pulao, peas pulao in pressure cooker, pulao recipe, easy pulao recipe. pattani sadham, pattani pulao