Mocha Cookies

No baking, no cooking, no fuss easy to make Mocha Oats Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup quick oats 
• 1/4 cup oat flour( instant oats grounded to fine powder)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules 
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped cashews 
• 1/4 cup salted butter at room temerature
• 2 tbsp milk or more at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

• In a mixing bowl combine cocoa powder, oats, oats flour, sugar, coffee granuals, chocolate chunks, chopped cashews and mix everthing together.

• In an another bowl add butter, milk and vanilla extract and pour into dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
• Shape into round cookies.

Tips:

• If you feel the dough is little sticky, cover with a cling wrap and put into fridge for 15-20 minutes for a firm dough.

Rava Chakli

Chakli or Murukku is a popular Indian snack, spiral-shaped, crunchy and salty, originating from the lands of Tamil Nadu (Information source -Wikipedia).

Typically, Chakli was made with Rice Flour and Urad Daal Flour, though today, it has many variations in terms of ingredients, proportions and taste. Often sold in plastic packing in giant departmental stores, these smell and taste old compared to something that could have been prepared at home.

So lets make some fresh Murukku at home!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour( I used store bought to make it more easy) 
• 1/2 cup fine semolina 
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour 
• A pinch asafoetida 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds 
• Salt to taste 
• Red chilly powder to taste 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1 tbsp hot oil for dough 
• 1 cup water or more 
• Oil for frying Chakli 
  

Directions:
Boil water in a pan, add salt, semolina stirring continuously, there should be no lumps.

When rava is completely cooked (generally this takes about 2-3 minutes) switch off the flame, add rice flour, chickpea flour, cumin seeds, chilly powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, pour hot oil and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Use little water if required.

Take your kitchen press or chakli maker and grease the container from inside and fill in the dough.
Use a star press mould and start pressing into chaklis.

Carefully pick and drop into hot oil and fry on low medium heat till golden brown. Fry 2 or 3 chaklis at a time.

Take out on an absorbant paper and serve.

Cheesy Party Poppers

Cheesy Party Poppers in Appe Pan
If you are looking for some some quick show stopper for your party, then you are at the right place. with minimal efforts you will get a brilliant snacking option.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bread( I used whole wheat bread)
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1/4 bowl frozen corn
• 1 medium sized tomato chopped
• 1 small capsicum chopped
• 1/2 bowl mozzarella cheese or as much as you like
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper or as per resistance
• 1/4 tsp mixed dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
• 1/2 stick butter/ oil
  

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time:5-6 minutes
Yields:8 poppers  
Kitchen Equipments Required:

• Appe Patra/ Appe Pan.
• Round Cookie cutter or a Round bottle lid.
  

Directions:

• Thaw frozen corn and keep aside.
• With the help of a cookie cutter or bottle's lid cut round slices of bread.

• Heat Appe Patra and put a drop of butter or oil in each indent.
• Lightly press the slices of bread with your palms and put one slice in each indent of Appe Patra.

• Spread tomato ketchup, put 1/2 tsp of assorted vegetables, salt, black pepper, mixed herbs.

• Top each popper with 1/2 tbsp of grated mozzarella cheese, sprinkle some more herbs.

• Let it cook till the cheese starts to melt ( generally this takes around 3-4 minutes) 
• Take out and serve  with tomato sauce.

Notes:
If you do not have Appe pan use a Muffin Tray and bake for 3 minutes at 200 degree celsius.

Tikha Sev

Besan Sev/ Chickpea flour  fried noodles needs no introduction. A very famous savoury indian snack is used in various kinds of chaats, for garnishing and munched as it is. This can be easily prepared at home, you just need a Kitchen Press or Sev Maker.

Let's Cook!

Ingredients:

• 1 bowl Chickpea flour/ Besan
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp carom seeds
• Salt to taste
• A pinch asafoetida
• 1 tsp hot oil (for dough)
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Sieve chickpea flour in a bowl, add turmeric powder, black pepper powder, red chilly powder, asafoetida, carom seeds, salt and hot oil, mix everything well.
• Add water in small quantities to make a soft dough. The dough should be softer than the chapatti dough.

• Take the kitchen press and grease the container from inside. Use the mould/ jaali that makes medium thickness strands.

•  Fill it with the dough and close the lid.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan for frying sev, hold kitchen press over the pan and start pressing and slowly moving into circular motion.

• Fry on medium heat and carefully turn to the other side, fry till crispy and light brown.
• Take out on an absorbent paper with the help of a fork and perforated ladle.
• Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
• When it comes down to room temperature store in an air tight container.

Non Fried Bengal Gram dal dumplings in spinach gravy

Chana dal Dumplings in Spinach Gravy

Ingredients:
For Dumplings/kofta:

• 1 bowl bengal gram/ chana dal soaked for minimum 4 hours.
• 2 tbsp green chilly and ginger paste.
• 1 tsp coriander powder.
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
• 1 tsp garam masala.
• Salt as per taste.
• Water.
• 1/2 tbsp oil.

For Spinach Gravy:

• 2 chopped onions.
• 3 tomatoes pureed.
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste.
• 1/2 cup khoya/ mava.
• 1 tsp coriander powder.
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
• 1 tsp red chilly powder.
• 1 tsp cumin seeds.
• 8-10 black peppercorns.
• 2 bay leaves.
• 1/2 stick cinnamon.
• 1 black cardamom.
• 2 bowls spinach puree.
• 1/4 cup fresh cream.
• 3 tbsp oil.
• 1/2 cup water.
• Salt to taste

Kitchen Equipments required:

• Appe Pan.
• Food Processor /Blender.

Method:
For Dumplings:

• Grind gram daal with ginger, green chilly paste, adding all the spices with little water into a thick batter.

• Whisk the batter till light and fluffy.
• Heat appe pan with one drop oil in each indent.
• Lightly grease palms of your hands and make small balls of batter, drop one in each indent.
  
• Cook for 5-6 minutes and turn to other side adding a drop of oil again.
  
• Take out when cooked from both sides.

For Spinach Gravy:

• Heat oil in a wok, in the hot oil drop cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, bay leaves and crushed black cardamom.
• After the whole spices release their aroma add ginger garlic paste and fry till the colour changes.
• Add chopped onions and cook till translucent.
• Add pureed tomatoes and cook till the oil leaves sides stirring occasionally and put all the dry spices.

• Add crumbled khoya, keep mixing continuously till the khoya melts.

• Next add pureed spinach and water and cook on medium flame for 10-15 mins or till you get desired consistency.

• Add fresh cream, mix well and switch off the flame.
• Drop dumplings just before serving.

Notes:
If you want to have a low calorie meal skip the khoya and cream part and enjoy the light and healthy version.

Veg Biryani and mix veg Raita

Hey Readers!

We have a guest post today by a very talented Archana Bhargava; an Arts Graduate from  Home Science College Jabalpur. Her cooking journey started at a very young age, she was 6 when she made her First Chapati :) and then helping her seniors in school during Home Science Practicals. Archana is surely a bundle of talent.

Here's her take on Mouthwatering Veg Biryani with Mix Veg Raita!

Ingredients:

For rice: 

• 2 cups basmati rice 
• 1 tsp oil 
• Salt to taste 
• 4 cloves 
• 3 green cardamom 
• 8 black peppercorns 
• Water as required 

Method:

• Wash rice and soak for half an hour. 
• In a heavy base pan heat oil then add all the spices, salt and cook until cooked 80%, keep aside cooked.

For Barista (fried onions): 

• 8 medium size onions 
• Oil for deep frying 

Method: 

• Peel onions and slice finely in equal thickness. 
• Spread the sliced onions on a piece of cloth for drying for two hours. 

• Heat oil on high and put sliced onions for frying in small batches, put the flame on low and let them fry till brown and crispy.

For vegetables:

• 12 baby potatoes 
• 1 medium sized cauliflower florets 
• 1 carrot 
• 12 beans 
• 1cup peas 

Method: 

• Peel potatoes and deep fry them on low flame till completely cooked. 
• Fry cauliflower florets. 

• Cut carrot beans into stripes and boil them with peas and strain.

Other ingredients: 

• 4 big tomatoes puree 
• 1 tbsp garlic paste 
• 1 tbsp green chilly ginger paste 
• 1 tsp red chilly powder 
• 2 tsp coriander powder 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder 
• 12 cashews fried 
• 1/2 cup mint leaves 
• 1 tsp butter 
• 2 tbsp Ghee or oil 
• 1tsp cumin seeds 
• 4 cloves 
• 8 black peppercorns 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 3 black cardamom 
• 10-15 strands saffron 
• 1 cup milk 

Method for cooking vegetables:

Heat oil in a pan, add whole spices, let them splutter, add garlic paste cook till it changes colour, add green chilly ginger paste, saute for a minute, then add dry spices and tomato paste, saute till oil separates. Then add one and half cup fried onions and all vegetables with salt as required.

For assembling:

• Take a microwave proof bowl, grease with butter. 
• Put one layer of vegetables, then rice, sprinkle pinch of  garam masala, mint leaves, fried onions. 
• Repeat the layering process, top it with fried cashews, little butter, saffron soaked in warm milk (this will maintain moisture and also enhances taste). 

• Now cover the bowl with cling wrap and micro for 6-7min. 

It is ready to serve. 

For raita: 

• 1 cucumber finely chopped 
• 1 tomato finely chopped 
• 1 onion finely chopped 
• 1 boiled potato finely chopped 
• Few mint leaves 
• Salt to taste 
• 1tsp cumin powder 
• 1tsp red chilly powder 
• 1tbsp roasted crushed peanuts 
• 1tsp sugar 
• 2 cups curd 
• Pinch of black salt 

Method:

• Mix curd with salt, black salt, red chilly powder, cumin powder. 
• Add rest of the ingredients and mix well . 
• Ready to serve.

Plum and Fig Chutney/ Spread

                                 Plum and fig chutney

Ingredients:

• 10-12 plums
• 10-12 soft dried figs
• 20-25 raisins
• 1tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp clove powder
• Black pepper to taste 
• Salt to taste
• Sugar 1/2 cup or to taste

Method:

• Deseed plums and roughly chop them. Soak figs in water for about 30 mins and roughly chop them. 
• In a non stick pan add  plums, figs, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, clove powder and vinegar.
•  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook till plums are tender. 
• Add sugar, salt and black pepper and keep stirring till sugar dissolves completely. 
• Boil it for another 5-10 mins uncovered on slow flame, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and pulpy!