Just Bake - Crispy Jeera biscuits

My very 1st baking task... with all fears and very much excitement i started off baking for the 1st time with this very easy recipe suggested by a friend on cookery group. And as always said 1st time experiments may turn a little haywire it did... These crispy biscuits became a little too crispy for the 1st set... the 2nd set was perfect to the core...

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes (depending upon the oven)
Makes: 20 biscuits


Ingredients:

1. Jeera seeds 2tbsp
2. Maida 2 cups
3. Salt 1.5tsp
4. Baking powder 1tsp
5. Sugar 1/4 cup
6. Oil (butter also can be used) 1/2 cup
7. Milk 1/4 cup (if you use eggs 1 egg fits in easily)
8. Water 2tbsp (if required)


Method:

1. In a bowl mix all ingredients with 2tbsp of water (if required)
2. Divide dough into 20 small balls.
3. Slightly press and flatten them. (make sure you don't press too much)
4. Bake them in preheated oven to 180 degrees till they turn golden brown.

Just bake - Sugar coated custard powder biscuits

Like I mentioned in my previous post i love to bake biscuits and cakes, here's another one I came across on internet and found it pretty interesting and easy to bake. My husband has a sweet tooth for sweet biscuits so this is how this came up.


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 25-30 minutes (depending upon the oven)
Makes: 30 biscuits


Ingredients: 

1. Maida 2 cups
2. Oil 1.25 cups (you can use butter as well for a different flavour)
3. Baking powder 1tbsp
4. Custard powder 1/2 cup
5. Tooty fruity (for decoration - optional)
6. Powdered sugar/Icing sugar 1 cup plus another 1/2 cup for rolling the biscuits
7. Vanilla essence a few drops
8. Baking soda 1 pinch

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Mix powdered sugar, oil and beat till fluffy.
3. Sieve maida, custard powder, baking soda and baking powder together.
4. Add this to the sugar, oil mixture, knead to make a nice dough. You can add more oil/butter if too dry.
5. Make small balls and place on palm and press.

6. Decorate with tooty fruity. (optional)
7. Bake at 200 degrees till golden brown and done.
8. Cool and roll them over sugar powder for yummy, crispy biscuits.

Peas Pulao

Peas pulao... a super yummy and flavoury lunch or dinner recipe... This is the time of the year when green peas are available fresh and green and in plenty at throwaway prices. I just brought some of them and made a yummy pulao out of it with a little Kerala touch to it..


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Rice 2 cups
2. Green peas 1/2kg
3. Green chillies 12
4. Coconut milk 1 packet (I used one whole packet of store bought milk, if you're making it at home you'll need 1/2 coconut's milk.)
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil 3-4tbsp
7. Ghee 3tbsp
8. Bay leaf 1-2
9. Elaichi pods 3
10. Cinnamon stick 1 inch
11. Maratha moggu 1
12. Ananas flower 1
13. Onions 4-5
14. Jeera seeds 1tbsp
15. Ginger garlic paste 2tbsp
16. Cashews 10

Method: 

1. Wash rice and soak for about 15-20 minutes
2. Slice the onions lengthwise and set aside.
3. Heat a little oil and ghee in the pressure cooker and add jeera seeds. Let them splutter.
4. Add bay leaf, elaichi pods (whole), maratha moggu, ananas flower, cinnamon stick and finally the cashews. Let them emit their flavour in oil.
5. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute. Add in the onions and saute till translucent.
6. Grind the green chillies and 2 onions to a fine paste with a little water. Add this to the onion mix and saute till raw smell disappears.
7. Once done add the green peas, coconut milk, salt and let it boil for about 2-3 minutes. Give it a mix slightly.
8. Next add in the soaked rice and mix gently. Add required water and close the pressure cooker. Don't make it too watery and note each grain of rice should be separate.
9. Cook for 2 whistles and wait till it settles down.
10. Garnish with the cashews and serve hot with kurma or raitha.



Make sure you remove the bay leaf before you serve. The bay leaf leaves behind a bad taste when left in cooked rice for a long time.

Green Grapes gojju

I just love the way caterers make this yummy pineapple gojju at south Indian especially weddings in Karnataka.. My hubby's granny knew how to make the same type gojju.. and lo i learnt it from her in a jiffy. But one most amazing this is it can be made even from grapes (green grapes), the seedless ones though. It has the same taste as pineapple and is less messy and very easy as well.


Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Green grapes (seedless and not too sour) 3/4 kg
2. Dhania seeds a handful
3. Urad dal a handful
4. Pepper corns 3-4
5. Dry red chillies (Guntur 4-5 and byadagi 3)
6. Jeera seeds 1tbsp
7. Mustard seeds 1tsp
8. Oil
9. Grated dry coconut 1/2 cup
10. Salt
11. Jaggery a small lemon's size


Method: 

1. Remove the grapes from stem and wash them thoroughly with salt water and once with clear running water.
2. Cut them into half and keep aside.
3. Roast Dhania seeds, urad dal, pepper corns, jeera seeds and red chillies with 1tsp of ghee.
4. Grind the roasted dhania seeds, urad dal. jeera seeds, pepper corns and red chillies with grated dry coconut and a little water. Add some sour grapes while grinding so that it makes up for the sour element.
5. Heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of mustard seeds and 2 dry red chillies.
6. Add the cut grapes and cook with some water till they lose colour and turn soft. It happens very quickly though.
7. Now add the ground paste, salt and let it boil till raw smell disappears.
8. Once done add the jaggery and boil again.
9. Keep stirring in between and add water to the required consistency.


Serve hot or cold with chapathi and rice. Enjoy the sweet and tangy taste..

Just Bake - Cherry biscuits

I was all excited to bake... bake cakes and biscuits like how my mom used to when i was a kid.. i would watch her do it eagerly and very much like her developed interest in baking.. I kept asking for a convection microwave from my hubby but once i got to know that microwave baking is not as good as the old age oven... i requested my mom to lend me her oven for a few days... and she did...

Found this recipe from a blogger like me... it was easy and looked yummy and moreover my hubby wanted me to bake something sweet so y delay..


Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes (depending upon the oven type)
Serves: 30 biscuits

Ingredients:

1. Maida 1 cup
2. Cornflour 1/2 cup
3. Icing sugar 1 cup
4. Butter 3/4 cup (melted)
5. Vanilla essence 1tbsp
6. Baking powder 1/2tbsp


Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 150c for about 20 minutes
2. Sieve maida, cornflour and icing sugar along with baking powder.
3. Cream butter with fork and add vanilla essence.
4. Mix the flour mix to butter mix little by little.
5. Mix well, add 1tbsp milk if too dry..
6. Make small balls and flatten a little. (While making balls make sure that they're fluffy enough and don't press too much, just a gentle press)
7. Make an indent with finger and place cherry.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or till golden brown.