Lemon Clove Cookies

I came across this cookie recipe in Nick Malgieri’s “Cookies Unlimited” book which I found in public library. Last weekend I was at the library looking for some new DVD’s to entertain me during my lazy afternoons, as usual hubby dear was searching some IT books for him. So l happened to go through the nonfiction section and look for books about cooking.OMG it is the motherland of cookbooks! There was a whole aisle full of them. It took me 1 hour to select out 3 books (Cookies Unlimited, 150 Cake Recipes and Sweet Indulgences) from their excellent collections.I’ve always loved going to the library and now that I've discovered their cookbooks, I have no doubt that I will love it even more.Hurry!!!!!go and check it out immediately.

Ok coming to cloves they are actually the dried buds of the clove tree. Used in China for more than 2000 years, cloves are believed to be an aphrodisiac. We do know that clove oil is a time-honored remedy for toothache, and that clove oil is highly antiseptic. The cloves are also used to stop vomiting. My hubby likes clove tea and frequently asks me to prepare for him.These cookies are another way to use the clove in our kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

All purpose flour – 2cups
Sugar – 1cup
Egg – 1
Ground cloves –1tsp
Lemon extract – 1/2tsp
Butter (melted) – 1/4cup
Baking Soda - 1tsp
Salt

(For Lemon Glaze)

Confectioner’s sugar – 1/2cup
Lemon extract – 1tsp
Water – 3tsp

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a mixing bowl mix flour, ground cloves and salt together. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and lemon extract; beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour, baking soda and beat until well mixed. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into about 2 inches wide and 7 inches long. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Unwrap the cookie dough and cut into desired sizes about 1/4-inch thick using cookie cutter. Sprinkle slices lightly with remaining sugar and place on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Lemon Glaze, mix confectioners' sugar, water and lemon extract in small bowl until well blended. Drizzle over cooled cookies (I used a knife). Let stand until glaze is set.

This is my entry for Think Spice : Think Cloves Event hosted by Gretchen and LiveSTRONG Day 2008 event hosted by Barbara.

Thattai(Rice Fritters)

As its name says this snack is flat and looks round in shape.I don’t know what they call in other parts of India.This is my hubby's favourite dish and a very popular snack in tamilnadu.Enjoy this with a cup of tea or coffee , great evening snack or we can store it for a week..Here is a simple method to make crispy thattai.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice flour -2 cups
Channa dal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds- 2 tsps
Green chili - 3
Urad dhal flour - 1/2cup
White sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves- few
Soda salt - 1pinch(optional)
Melted butter - 2 tsps
Salt

METHOD:

Soak channa dal for atleast 1 hour/10 mins in hot water.Drain the water and keep aside.Grind urad dhal in a blender, sieve it to get the finest powder.Blend green chili and curry leaves into fine paste.Mix rice flour, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves and green chilli paste and salt. Add the soaked channa dal to the mixture .

Add water little by little and make the dough as murukku dough.Make small lime size balls and when pressed the edges should crack.That's the consistency for crispy thattai.Cut two opposite closed edges of Ziploc bag and place the dough on one side and cover it with other side and roll it into a thin layer or press each balls as thin as possible with your hands.Apply little oil so that it won’t stick.

Fry the thattais on medium heat, turning them over occasionally, until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon on to absorbent paper.Serve as a snack with tea or coffee. Store in an airtight tin.

Banana Flower Vada(Vazhai Poo Vadai)

Vadas are one of the most popular fast food snacks and they come in exciting varieties.It can be eaten with pongal, served with sambhar or curd, or with payasam. Banana flower vada is a Authentic Tamilnadu delicacy. Here we go with the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

Banana Flower( vazhai poo) - 1 full poo

Chenna dal (Kadalai paruppu )- 1 cup

Finely chopped onion - 2

Green Chilies - 4

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1tsp
Ginger crushed – 2tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 8 or 10 finely chopped

Coriander leaves(finely chopped) – 3stks

METHOD:

Peel the outer skin from the banana flower. You have to remove the small white stems inside each flower including the skin. Then Cut them into small pieces and immediately place them in the turmeric water otherwise they will become dark. Boil the flowers in water for 10 minutes drain them and keep aside.

Soak the chenna dal in water for about 1-2 hrs. Separate 2tsp of Chenna dal .Now wash and drain the water completely with a paper towel, grind coarsely and mix chopped onion, green chilies, ginger, cumin,fennel seeds,curry leaves, coriander leaves, chenna dal and chopped flowers (drain all water before adding to Dal) with salt.

Mix everything to form thick dough. Make tiny balls of the mix and flatten to make vada shape with your hands. Deep fry them in oil till golden brown .Serve hot with ketch up.

South Indian Chivda or Mixture

I remember my childhood days, when festival day comes my mom used to make huge canisters of mixture or murruku with her friends.Mixture is one of the popular South Indian snack.If you are trying to make what they call it in Indian Stores ‘south Indian chivda’ or Mixture, here is the recipe how we made it.Since we got bored of getting mixture from indian stores,we decided to make.The results were great. This a preparation of me and my friend ,Enjoy this with a cup of tea or coffee , great evening snack.Here is a simple method to make crispy Mixture!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

(For Bhoondi)
Gram flour – 2cups

Rice flour - 3 tsp
Chili powder – 2tsp
Salt

(For sev)
Gram flour – 2cups
Rice flour – ¾ cup
Chili powder – 2tsp
Cumin seeds,ajwain/omam – 1tsp
Hot oil – 2tsp
Butter – half stick
Salt

(Other)
Ground nuts – 1cup
Chatney dhal (pottukadalai) – 2cups
Curry leaves – 2springs
Garlic – 2
Soaked channa dhal(2 hours) – 2 cup
Corn flakes – 1 cup

METHOD:

Mix gramflour,chili powder,rice flour in the bowl and add salt and dilute it with water till dosa batter consistency. Heat the oil.Now pour a spoonful of the batter into the slotted spoon with round holes.You can use either a rounded spoon/cup/your hand to do this.Tap it gently with a spoon so that small balls of dough fall into the oil. Turn and fry until get golden and crisp. Do this until the batter finishes. Drain on paper towel.

Mix all the ingredients for sev and make a thick smooth dough by adding water as necessary. Now add hot oil and mix well. My mom used to add oil to the dough of muruku and mixture; it gives more softness to sev. Take a handful dough place in a sev mould and press carefully over the hot oil. Turn and fry until brown and crisp. Do this till the dough finishes. Drain on paper towel.

Fry all the other ingredients (except channa dhal) and drain on paper towel.Channa dhal should be deep fried.We can eat this fried channa dhal(with salt and chili powder) as a separate snack called poom parupu. Be careful when fring the curry leaves. Now add all this with bhoondi and sev in a bowl and add mix well by adding 1 more spoon chili powder, little salt. Allow to cool and keep in airtight dry container.

Note:Dont worry if you dont have a slotted spoon with round holes....We used carrot Shredder.Enjoy...

Bread-Potato Cutlet

This is yet another wonderful snack made from potato. These are quite easy to make and come in very handy for parties; totally vegetarian and you can use any combination of vegetables. These cutlets are soft in the center with a crisp coating of bread and I like to eat as an evening snack along with tea.There are so many tasty delights which can be made using potatos as the main ingredeint I hope you like this.

Ingredients:

Boiled potato – 3
White bread slices– 4
Breadcrumbs – ½ cup
Maida – ½ cup
Chopped onion - 1
Ginger, garlic paste – 1 tsp
Chili powder,Garam masala(each) – 1tsp
Green chili – 2
Curry leaves - 4-5 tsp
Pepper – 1tsp

Method:

Mash the potatos. Heat oil in the pan and add ginger, garlic paste, Curry leaves,onion,green chili one by one and sauté it for 3 mins.

Now add all the masalas and cook well. Soak the bread slices in water, squeeze out the excess water from your hands and add to the potato mixture.

Make a ball of this mixture and give desired shape with hand. Mix Maida with water and a little salt, to form a loose batter.

When the patties are ready dip in a bowl with Maida and dip into a plate of dried breadcrumbs. Deep fry or shallow fry these cutlets till they turn slightly brownish.

Serve hot with ketchup.

I am sending these cutlets to sia's Ode to Potato and DK's A Potato Fe(a)st.

Egg Puff

I love egg puffs. When I saw rajitha’s veggie puffs immediately I want to try with egg. I made some slight changes.. There are so many different ways to make egg puffs. I did the masala filling of my own. Here is one of the recipe. Since I cant send these to my brother-in-law (Dying fan of egg puff ),I am dedicating these egg puffs to him. Hope he will see :).It came out very well just like the one which we get in Indian bakery and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks,, rajitha for the wonderful idea.

INGREDIENTS:

Puff pastry sheets - 1

Filling:
Boiled eggs – 4
Sliced onion – 1
Green chili - 4
Chopped tomato – ½
Curry leaves – 2 tsp
Carrot,peas – ½ cup
Ginger,Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Chicken stock – ½ cup
Turmeric,Pepper,chili powder and garam masala – 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsp

METHOD:

Heat oil in the pan add Ginger,garlic paste,curry leaves,chili,onion,tomato and sauté it for a while.Now add carrot ,peas , all the masalas and cook well.Then add Chicken stock and cook it for some times.Put egg into this mix and sauté it for few seconds and remove from the stove.Let it cool..

Thaw the pastry sheet by leaving it out in room temperature for about an hour or so. You can defrost it, using a microwave. Be careful not to cook it. After the Puff Pastry sheet has thawed cut it into 6 rectangular pieces.

Place each egg with masala little far from the border of the small side of the rectangle. sprinkle little salt and pepper and close it tightly with the other side. Repeat the procedure for the remaining eggs.

Place them on a baking sheet with the aluminum foil l in the oven at 375 deg C for about 45 mins or till they turn golden brown.

Adjust the temperature of the oven according to your oven’s heat.

Serve them hot with ketchup.

Masala aloo Bonda

I make this snack very frequently for the evening tea.Here we go with the recipe of the Aloo Bondas. You can use this indise masala as a side dish for sambar rice.

INGREDIENTS:

For Filling:
Boiled potato - 3
Mustard Seeds,Urad Dal,Jeera seeds(each) - 2 tsp
Curry ,coriander leaves - 2tsp
Chopped onion - 2
Chopped tomato - 2
Frozen peas,carrot - 1/2 cup
Chili,Coriander powder(each) - 2 tsp

For layer:

Gram flour - 2cup

Rice flour - 1 cup

Chili powder - 3tsp

Baking soda - 1pinch(for crispness)

METHOD:

For layer mix all these and keep aside.Heat oil in pan add mustered,jeera seeds,urad dal and curry leaves and allow it to sputter.Now add onion,tomato and saute it for 2 mins,Then add carrot,peas and allow it cook well.Put chili,coriander powder and mix well.Add boiled potatos and saute it for 5mins.Cook well and let it cool.Now make this potato masala as balls and dip into mixed batter and deep fry it.Serve hot with tea.

I am sending these aloo bondas to The Potato - A Blog Event by alex.

Kuli Panayaram(Jhatpat Appey)

Some times we got bored with Dosa and Idly.Here is the simple and easy tiffin using same dosa batter.My mom used to cook this for our tiffin and breakfast.We can eat with coconut chutney or as it is.A special vessel called panayara chatti is used to make this wonderfull dish. You can get that vessel here .

INGREDIANTS:

Dosa/Idly Batter - 4 cups

Finelly chopped onion - 1 medium onion

Finelly chopped green chiilies - 5

Egg - 2 (for softness)

Mustard seeds - 2tsp

Urad dhal - 4 tsp
Chenna dhal(Kadalapariappu) - 4tsp

Cumin seeds - 2tsp

Finelly chopped Curry Leaves- 1 1/2tbsp

Finelly chopped Corinder Leaves -5 tsp

METHOD:

Mix eggs with dosa/idly batter and keep aside.Heat oil in kadai ,add mustard seeds and allow it to carckel.Then add urad dhal,curry leaves ,cumin seeds,chenna dhal,green chillies and saute them for 2 mins.Now add onion and cook it for 5 mins.Finally add corinder leaves. Add this sautéed mixture to the batter and mix well. Add salt for your taste.Heat the Kuli Paniyaram Chatti and add little oil in each hole and pour batter in each hole.Cook them on both the sides untill brown color.Serve it with coconut chutney and sambar.

This post is my entry to mansi's colorful Game night event