Nan Khatai

Probably nan khatai are the first cookies I ever baked in my kitchen and so, they are special to me. Over the years I have tried various versions, liking them all even without realizing they had Parsi connection. This time around I tried this semolina-almond version which yield crispy, crumbly delicious nan khatai that are quite addictive. For the uninitiated, nan khatai are shortbread biscuits that have been popular in the Indian sub continent for centuries. They are believed to be originated in Surat, a city in western India during 16th century. The word nan khatai is said to have derived from a Persian word 'naan' meaning bread and an Afghani word 'khatai' meaning biscuit.
 
According to the ebook Eat, Pray and Live, some of the Parsi cooks who worked for the Dutch in Surat had learnt to bake soft bread by fermenting the dough with toddy, which is supposedly the beginning of the legacy of Parsi bakeries in Surat. Parsis were inspired by the eggless Scottish shortbread, to create nan khatai, one of Surat's famous confections.The Surat bakers realized that the recipe was suitable for Gujarati vegetarians who did not eat eggs and adapted to suit the local populace by adding nuts and cardamom. Here is another interesting read about how nan khatai came to existence.

Ingredients: (Yield 18 - 20 cookies)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina (I replaced half of it with ground almonds.)
2 tbsp. ground almonds (Optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
A pinch of baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. slivered almonds for garnish

Method:
* Sift together flour, semolina, cardamom and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add ground almonds to the same bowl if using and mix to combine,
* Cream butter and sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in small increments and blend until a dough is formed. If for any reason, the dough turns out hard / dry, moisten it with little milk. (I didn't need any milk.)
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C. Grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
* Divide the cookie dough into 18 - 20 portions and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand and decorate with almond slivers. Gently press the almond pieces so that they stick to the cookie.
* Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them an inch apart since they expand while baking.
* Place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until they turn light golden in color. (I baked them for about 20 minutes, turned off the oven and left them in the oven for another 6 minutes or so.)
* Let them cool on a wire rack and store them in an airtight container.


Comments

Brown Rice Flour & Vegetable Rotti

 

Rotti is a staple of Karnataka cuisine and these unleavened flat breads are usually prepared using rice flour or finger millet flour or sorghum flour. Jolada rotti / Sorghum flour rotti are a specialty of the North Karnataka region and they are commonly eaten for meals there whereas akki rotti, the rice flour based ones are commonly prepared through out the state with variations. These akki rottis are frequently eaten as a breakfast at homes and they also become convenient lunch box item for kids. ('Akki' is rice in the local language). 

I replaced a portion of white rice flour with brown rice one in these rotti to make them healthier. (The brown rice flour I buy at 'Whole Foods' is not very fine ground and so need some regular rice flour to bind the dough.) Rotti can be kept simple with the addition of green chilis, salt, onions and coconut, which are called masale rotti in some parts. Or vegetables can be added to add nutition. Fenugreek leaves can be substituted with amaranth or spinach leaves. The combination of veggies I have added here, especially the cucumber helps in keeping the rotti softer longer. 

The dough can be prepared the previous night and refrigerated which saves time during the morning rush. The dough can be taken out and used in the morning even without thawing. The rottis can be made thinner than what I have made here. Each rotti takes less than 10 minutes to make and doesn't even need constant supervision. One standard tawa / griddle sized rotti would be sufficient if packing a kids' lunch box. These rotti do not need any side dishes in general. They are served with jaggery or some chutney pudi (for older kids / adults), which are staples in any south Indian kitchen. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 5 rotti)
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup rice flour (Store bought can be used.)
Salt to taste
1 carrot
1 small cucumber
1/4 to 1/2 cup fenugreek leaves / methi leaves
1 or 2 green chili
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded, fresh coconut
A handful of cilantro leaves, finely minced
Oil to make rotti

Preparing the dough:
* Peel and grate the cucumbers. If the cucumbers are not tender, quarter them vertically, remove the seeds and then grate.
* Peel and grate the carrot. Wash and roughly chop the fenugreek leaves.
* Chop green chili very finely. (Green chili can be pulsed with  coconut in a food processor / mixer without adding water, to avoid biting on them. This method is helpful, if especially cooking for kids.)
* First combine the flours and salt in a mixing bowl. Then add all the other ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl.

* Add water as needed to form a firm dough. The rotti can be made immediately at this point, following the below method. Or the dough can be refrigerated in a container with a tight fitting lid. Plan to use the dough within a couple of days.
 
* Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Work with one portion at a time and keep the rest covered. Shape one portion into a ball.
* Pour a tsp. of oil in the center of a griddle / skillet you are going to use to make rottis. Place the dough ball at the center of the griddle and pat with your fingers till you form a thin, flat circle. (There is no need to make it super thin like pancakes.) The rotti size depends on one's preference. Some prefer to make it griddle sized and some go with smaller ones. Poke a hole in the middle with your index finger if you wish or just leave it out.
 
* Pour a tsp. of oil around the edges of the dough circle and over it. Cover with a lid and turn on the stove. Let it cook on a low - medium flame and flip it when golden brown spots develop on the bottom side and the upper side doesn't look raw. It may take around 5 to 6 minutes. 
 
 * Add 1/2 tsp.  of oil around the edges again if needed. Cover it again and cook for about 3 -4 minutes or until the other side turns light brown too. Turn off the stove and remove the cooked rotti with a spatula.

* Repeat the above steps with the remaining dough balls. However be sure to turn off the stove and cool the griddle before using it again. If in a hurry, the hot griddle can be held under running water to cool it down quickly. Or simultaneously 2 griddles can be used to quicken the cooking process.
* Rotti are usually served with chutney pudi. Some even serve with butter or yogurt, especially ragi / fingermillet rottis. When serving kids, they go with a combo of jaggery and ghee. The latter combo remains my favorite even though I am no longer a kid. :)

This is going to be my contribution to this week's Blogging marathon, with the theme 'Quick Breakfasts'. Check the page link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

Comment

Suruttai Poli

(These were originally posted as part of Indian Cooking Challenge during March 2011.)

If you landed here hoping to get a poli recipe, you are surely in for a disappointment. However, hang on, hang on. Don't move away. I promise you that you are going to get introduced to another South Indian delicacy, suruttai poli. Srivalli, the creator of Indian Cooking Challenge chose suruttai poli for this month's challenge. When she mentioned that they are the rolled polis, I wasn't sure why the polis need to be rolled. 

When I went through the recipe and tried it, what do I realize? They are not polis / bobbatlu in any angle, but are kajjikayalu in a different avatar. Instead of being crescent shaped shells, they are presented as rolls. One of the Indian sweets we do like and enjoy. A delicious deep fried crisp roll with a cardamom scented sweet filling - that is suruttai poli for you in a nutshell. The process was simple and very easy to prepare (at least for me). Next time I would like to try with a coconut or nut filling.



Recipe Courtesy: Nithya's mom

Ingredient: (Yield - 10 polis)
1 cup all purpose flour / maida 
A pinch of salt
1 or 2 tbsp. powdered sugar for dusting
1/2 cup oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the stuffing:

1/2 cup roasted gram / pappulu (The one used to make the chutney.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. grated dry coconut
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped cashews
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. ghee
(And keep some paper towels handy.)

Preparation of stuffing:
1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cashew pieces and toast until they turn golden brown. Remove them onto a plate with a slotted spoon. To the same ghee, add the grated coconut and fry for a few seconds and turn off the stove. Let cool.
2. Powder roasted gram, sugar and cardamom together. Add the coconut - cashew mixture to it and mix well. The stuffing mixture is ready now. The stuffing can be made in advance and stored so that poli making process is a breeze.

Preparation of polis:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water gradually and make a firm dough, as you do for rotis / pooris. Cover and rest the dough for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pinch about a big marble sized dough and roll out as thin as possible, into a circle of about 5 inches diameter. Prick the disc randomly using a fork so that it won't puff up during the frying process. You don't want to deal with puffed up pooris in this recipe and pricking takes care of that. The circle should be bigger than your typical poori and repeat the same with the remaining dough. 

3. Spread the rolled discs on a wide plate and allow them to air dry for about 10 minutes. 
4. Now comes the frying part. Heat oil in a kadai or a pan. Add a pinch of dough to the oil and check whether it swims immediately to the surface. If it does, then lower the heat to medium setting and slowly drop a disc. As soon as it appears cooked and bubbles start to show up, flip using a large perforated spoon and fry for a few seconds and remove it taking care to drain the oil using that spoon. It should not be fried till it starts to change color to a brown hue like a poori. It should be just done, still maintaining the creamish hue. Also if fried longer, they would become brittle. (I placed the fried disc between two paper towels and patted it to remove the extra greasiness. This way, it was also be not hot to handle while stuffing.)
5. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on a platter and place this fried disc on it. Add about 3 tbsp. of the stuffing mixture along one edge of the disc. Start rolling from that end where the stuffing has been added and form a tight roll. 

6. Place the rolled poli on a plate with the seamed end facing downwards. Let cool. Repeat the same with the remaining discs.
7. Once cool, they become crisp. I just decorated with nuts, coconut and saffron and this is entirely optional. Store them in an air tight container.

Notes:
They are very easy to prepare. The only points to remember are
1. Discs need to be fried only until done with out changing the color. Few seconds on each side, that's it. A little longer would result in brittle discs.
2. The discs need to be rolled immediately since rolling becomes impossible when they are let to cool down.

3. If you are trying to prepare a large quantity of polis then try to make them in small batches.

Comments

Besani Koki

Kokis are traditional flatbreads from Sindhi cuisine and are made with wheat flour. Here are a couple of versions I have already posted, spicy koki and koki. This besani koki is another version, obviously prepared using besan / chickpea flour. These kokis are spicier and are made with a combination of chickpea flour and wheat flour. The addition of chickpea flour makes these kokis nutritious and protein loaded. 

I have tried a few times another version from Vaishali's blog where kokis are made with chickpea flour alone which are tastier as well and is a gluten free version. I usually pat them into thicker rotis, directly on the pan as I can not roll them. I find even rolling the kokis that I am a posting today a bit difficult. The dough tends to stick to the rolling board while rolling because of the chickpea flour addition. Rolling them between two greased sheets of parchment takes care of the problem. Besani kokis are made thicker than regular rotis and can be served with a preferred curry, dal pickle, yogurt or even plain if kokis are on a spicier side.

Ingredients: (Yield 6 kokis)

For the dough:
1 cup chickpea flour / besan

1 cup wheat flour

1/8 tsp. turmeric powder

Salt to taste 
1 tsp. carom seeds / ajwain
1 onion,  finely minced

2 green chilies, finely chopped
A handful of cilantro, minced
2 tbsp. melted ghee / oil

For toasting koki:

Ghee / Oil as needed

Directions:
* Add all the ingredients mentioned under 'dough' list to a bowl and mix well to combine. 

* Add water as needed to prepare a stiff dough. (I added about 6 tbsp. water.).

* Divide the dough into 6 portions and roll them into smooth balls. 

* Lightly grease a parchment paper and place it on the rolling board or any work surface that is being used. Place the dough ball at center and cover it with another parchment sheet. Roll the ball gently between the parchment sheets into a thick circle of about 4 - 5 inches diameter. 

* Remove the top parchment sheet and gently score it with a knife, not going all the way through or prick it with a fork all over.

* Heat a griddle or a pan on medium heat. Transfer the rolled circle onto the pan, lifting away the parchment sheet.

* Toast it brushing with little ghee / oil, until brown spots appear on both sides, flipping intermittently once or twice.

* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough balls and serve them warm with your choice of side dish.

Comments

Keskul / Turkish Almond Pudding

I came across this one while exploring traditional pudding versions prepared around the globe. Sutlac, muhallebi and keskul are dairy based puddings from Turkey. My version today is a quick and easy rice - almond flour based pudding called keskul and is prepared along the lines of a phirni. This version is the easiest one I came across and some versions even had eggs. This is a delicious, creamy dessert with bites of coconut and nuts that provides an interesting crunch to it. I added more ground almonds than recommended and prepared it with a thicker consistency. More milk can be added if one prefers to keep it thinner.

The original recipe had an interesting anecdote, connecting 'keskul' to Ottoman empire. A keskul is a bowl prepared with a coconut shell. Sultan's people would go around disguised as beggars, collecting money in keskul bowls. The money collected would give them an indication of the people's status. And the money then used to get distributed among the poor. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 2 small servings)
1.5 cup milk
2 tbsp. rice flour
1.5 tbsp. almond flour (I used about 3 tbsp. ground almonds)
2 tbsp. coconut flakes
Sugar to taste 

Directions:
* Whisk about 1/2 cup milk with rice flour until there are no lumps or pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
* Add this mixture, remaining milk, almond flour, coconut and sugar in a thick bottomed pot or a non stick one. Cook on low medium flame until the mixture thickens, continuously stirring. I blindly cooked the mixture for about 15 minutes in a non stick pot, stirring the mixture intermittently. Leave a ladle inside the pot to avoid the mixture from boiling over while cooking.
* Chill the pudding and distribute between bowls. Garnish with chopped almonds / pisatchios / raisins before serving.

Comments 

Chegodilu

Chegodi is a traditional snack item from Andhra cuisine that is shaped like a ring. The Tamilnadu version is called kola vadai. They may also bring to mind a somewhat similar looking snack from the neighboring Karnataka region called kodubale but the resemblance ends there. Chegodilu, the plural for chegodi are made using just plain rice flour with basic seasonings while kodubale is made with combination of rice flour and all purpose flour, which I realized just now that they are not posted yet in my blog. Another version uses peanut powder as well, as shown here which makes them super crunchy and addictive. 

Despite their popularity online, I would say that chegodilu are not frequently prepared anymore at homes compared to other chakli varieties. However they make a great festive or tea time snack and are quite easy to prepare if choosing to make a small batch. There is also a version made with all purpose flour alone. I had tried making chegodilu with jowar flour too but that recipe still needs some tweaking. Chegodilu can be made bigger and thinner than what I have made. Peanut oil is used traditionally to fry these but I used canola oil here. Any flavorless oil works fine. 

Ingredients: (Yield - About 28)
1 cup water
1 cup rice flour
1 tsp cumin seeds and/or carom seeds
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
1 tsp. butter / solid ghee or 2 tsp. oil
Oil for deep frying

Directions:
* Bring water to a boil in a pan and turn off the stove. 
* Meanwhile combine flour, cumin / carom seeds, salt, chili powder and ghee in a mixing bowl. Next add the hot water carefully and mix well with a spoon to combine. Use a ladle if the dough quantity is more. Don't use hands to mix since the water is hot.
Alternatively, the ingredients can be added directly to the hot water pan and mixed. The first method works best when one is used to eye ball the quantities of ingredients rather than working with measuring cups. One can add only as much water as needed to the flour mixture to make a stiff dough.  

* Let the dough come to room temperature or hot enough to handle. Knead the dough to just make sure that it is mixed well once it is safe to handle.
* Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. When a small pinch of dough is put into the oil, it must immediately swim to the surface  meaning the oil is at the right temperature to fry. If the dough sinks to the bottom of the pan then the oil needs some more heating. There is no need to bring the oil to a smoking point.
* While the oil is heating, shape some chegodilu. Pinch a marble sized dough and roll into a ball. Shape it into a log of uniform thickness. Bring the edges together and join them to make a ring. Repeat the process with the remaining rings. 
(The logs I made were about 1/2 cm thickness and about 5 inches long. Chegodilu can be made bigger and thinner than mine. Also one can shape only as many rings as needed to fit the frying pan while the rest of the dough can sit covered.) 

* Add the shaped rings to the frying pan and fry on low medium heat, flipping intermittently until it turns golden brown through out.
 
* Remove the fried chegodilu with a slotted spoon, draining as much oil as possible and transfer them to a plate covered with paper towel. Repeat the process of shaping and frying rings with the remaining dough. Adjust the temperature as needed as you proceed with frying. The temperature may need to be increased between each batch as the temperature of the oil falls down.
* Let them cool and store them in an airtight container. (Mine were gone in one sitting.) 

Comments

'Indian Sweets and Snacks' - A Recap

Readers who follow my blog might me aware that I am a part of blogging marathon group where we sign up to post recipes each month. April and September months are meant for month long marathons where we post recipes each day with set themes, barring Sundays. I have been part of these mega marathons since it started excepting a few owing to my India trips. I posted some traditional sweets and snacks from India this September. Before posting round up of those recipes, below are links for my previous mega marathons with the mentioned themes. If interested, click on those links and you will find about 26 to 30 dishes in each category.

Apr 2019 A - Z Indian Biryani / Pulao / Khichdi Series
Apr 2018 A - Z Indian Street Food
Sep 2016 A - Z Indian Rice Dishes
Apr 2016 A - Z Andhra Cuisine
Sep 2015 Buffet on the Table
Apr 2015 Fire up Your Oven (Baking Recipes)
Sep 2014 Around the World in 30 Days (International Recipes)
Apr 2014 Indian Food Odyssey - Recipes from 30 States
Sep 2013 A - Z Event with 4 Set Themes
Apr 2013 Event with 4 Different themes


This September's marathon was based on Indian sweets and snacks, divided between four themes. This marathon was a learning curve with some surprises thrown in, indeed. I would have never thought that I would even try making the tricky khandvi or the tedious khakras from Gujarat, at home. For a person who doesn't even make urad dal vadas to avoid deep frying, Uttar Pradesh's dahi gujiyas were a revelation. I had no idea such a recipe even existed where a batter would act as an outer covering for stuffing a gujiya instead of a flour based dough and more surprising was that I enjoyed it with full gusto. Neither I had an inkling that I get to try and enjoy a delicious treat sitting in my home, that was originally created for the officers of British Raj in Ooty, a hill station in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. There was this snack from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, a spicy sev that was created to satiate the Mughal emperors and now boasts a GI tag to it's name. What was new and extremely pleasing in the sweets category was a simple yet flavorful kheer made with coconut water, coconut milk and the tender coconut meat which has become now my 'favorite' kheer. The black eyed peas based dumpling, pandoli was an interesting addition to my idli repertoire. Apart from these, if you are interested to see what other delicious Indian snacks I got to try this marathon, check out the below links.


The first week was meant for sweets and I went ahead with simple yet festive treats keeping in mind Navratri and Diwali festivals. What conjures up in my mind when I think about an Indian sweet is a laddu / burfi / kheer / halwa, or a stuffed sweet rather than dairy based sweets. My mind automatically associates the latter category or the deep fried varieties like jalebis / jhangri kind to a sweet shop / bakery somehow. I included a recipe from each of the above categories along with the ever popular jamun recipe, a dry one this time. 

Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde (South India)

Dry Gulab Jamun (North India)

Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai 

Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa

Elaneer Payasam (Tamil Nadu)

Godhuma Sojjappalu (Andhra Pradesh)

The second week's theme was to pick some traditional snacks from one particular state. I did not have to think much and blindly picked Gujarat, a state in the western part of India that happens to be the land of farsans aka snacks. The local cuisine not only has a wide range of deep fried snacks that have become popular among the Indian diaspora but also can boast about guilt free ones. I went ahead with the latter category picking the healthy, traditional snacks that can be enjoyed by everyone, including diabetics. Five of those dishes are steamed snacks and most of them can be enjoyed as a mini meal too. 

Damni Dhokla (Gujarat)

Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia (Gujarat)

Dal Pandoli (Gujarat)

Sev Khamani (Gujarat)

Methi Khakhra (Gujarat)

Pressure Cooker Khandvi (Gujarat)

The third week was a free choice and we could pick whatever we preferred. I went ahead with some more guilt free, regional snacks that were mostly quick fix ones as well. None were deep fried except the kalmi vada chaat, where I used the vadas that were fried as part of the final week theme.

Bafauri (Chattisgarh / Madhya Pradesh)

Soy Beans Guggillu / Sundal (South India)

Jhal Muri (West Bengal)

Roasted Phool Makhana

Kalmi Vada Chaat

Spicy Corn Chaat

The fourth week was meant for eight traditional Indian snacks that were agreed upon beforehand by the participating team. The snacks chosen were from four corners of the country and a few proved to be new and delectable surprises to me.

'Aakukoora' Pappu Chekkalu (Andhra Pradesh)

Baked 'Millet' Handvo (Gujarat)

Ratlami Sev (Madhya Pradesh)

'Jowar' Kothimbir Vadi (Maharasthra)

Kalmi Vada (Rajasthan)

Ooty Varkey (Tamil Nadu)

Dahi Gujiya (Uttar Pradesh)

Vegetable Chop / Bhejetebil Chop (West Bengal)

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.

Comments