These biscuits are very light and airy and very similar in taste to nan khatai or melting
moments.
The lightness is because of the use of cornflour.
It is not very sweet like the regular cookies or biscuits.
Ingredients:
Cornflour- 100 gms or 1 small packet,
All purpose flour or maida- 130 gms or 1 cup and 1/3 cup approx.
Butter - 180 gms-room temp- (I have used 100 gms of margarine and 80 gms of salted butter),
Icing sugar - 28 gms or 12 tsp ( heapful ),
Vanilla essence-1tsp,
Cinnamon pwd- 1/2 tsp- (optional ),
Icing sugar for dusting.
Method:
Oven temp- 160 C or 320 F
Spread butter paper on your baking tray.
Sift cornflour and all purpose flour in a bowl.
Add cinnamon pwd if using ( through sieve ).
With wire whisk,stir the flour and keep aside.
Take a mixer bowl and beat the butter till light and smooth.
Add the icing sugar through a sieve as it has lumps in it.
Set the speed to high and beat for one minute.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spoon.
Add egg and vanilla essence.
Beat for 30 seconds.
With mixer on low speed and the flour mixture.
Mix till evenly combined.
Gather the dough in the center with a spoon as the dough is very soft.
Cover with cling film and place the bowl in the fridge for 2 hours.
Pre heat oven to 160 C or 320F
Sprinkle some flour on your counter and place the dough.
Since the weather is hot and humid,roll the dough on the counter to make a ball.
The counter flour will help in making the dough into a ball and then lightly flatten it with your fingers ( use the flour only for outer surface ).
Before rolling the dough sprinkle some flour on the counter.
Cover the dough with a cling film and with a rolling pin,roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness.
Dip your cutter in flour and cut the biscuits.
Place the biscuits on a butter paper,leaving 1 and 1/2 inch space between each biscuits.
Due to hot and humid weather,I put the tray with the unbaked biscuits in the fridge for 5 minutes.
Bake the biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes or till the edges are lightly brown and if you check,when lightly warm,the bottom will be brown.
They will be wheatish in the center.
Take out from oven and let it cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.
Slide the butter paper on wire rack to cool for another 2 minutes.
Once the biscuits are warm,sprinkle icing sugar through a tea strainer.
Take out the cookies on wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy home baked fresh biscuits!
It is very light and airy and very mild in sweetness.
Makes 32 biscuits.
This is a tasty pakistani dal recipe!
The use of mint,ginger and fennel pwd gives a dal a nice flavour!
Ingredients:
Chana dal or chickpea dal-1 cup,
Arhar or toor dal- 2 tbsp,
Masoor dal or red lentil- 2tbsp,
Dhuli urad dal or white lentil- 2tbsp,
Dhuli moong dal or green lentil- 2 tbsp,
Tomato- 2-chopped,
Red chilli pwd-1/2 tsp or according to taste,
Fennel pwd-1 tsp- divided,
Shredded ginger -1 tsp,
Garlic paste-1 tsp,
Turmeric pwd- 1/2 tsp,
Ghee -1 tsp for dal and 1 tsp for tempering,
Salt to taste,
Warm water-2 cups,
Garam masala pwd- 1/2 tsp,
Green chiili-1- chopped,
Mint or pudina leaves- a handful,
Ginger julienne-2 inch-sliced into juliennes,
Red whole chilli- 2,
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp,
Hing or asafoetida- a pinch,
Onion 1/4- cut into small pieces or sliced.
Method-
Wash and soak the dal in warm water for 1/2 hour.
Once soaked,put the strained dal in the cooker and discard the water.
Add chopped tomatoes,ginger garlic paste,red chilli pwd,turmeric pwd,1/2 tsp fennel pwd,salt and 1 tsp of ghee.
Add 2 cups of warm water.
Stir and close the lid.
Put the heat to high and let it cook till it gives out 4 whistles.
Close gas and leave it some time for the lid to open.
Once you open the lid,do not stir too much,just once or twice.
Add chopped green chilli,chopped mint leaves,garam masala pwd,fennel pwd-1/2 tsp and half of ginger juliennes.
Taste and adjust salt.
Stir once and let it come to boil,then lower the heat for a minute,then close gas.
Pour the dal in your serving dish.
The mint should not be cooked too much as it will turn black.
Pour the dal into your serving bowl.
Tempering:
Heat ghee in a small pan.
As ghee heats,add cumin seeds and whole red chilli.
As cumin begins to roast,add a pinch of hing and then add the chopped onions and the left over ginger juliennes.
Cook on low heat and as the onions are lightly brown,close gas.
Pour the tempering over the dal and serve.
This is a quick recipe dal and goes very well with roti and any vegetarian or non veg dish.
This is a side dish and serves 6 to 7.
Ingredients:
Butter ( salted )- 113 gms or 1/2 cup ( room temperature),
White granulated sugar ( powdered )- 1/4 cup or 50 gms,
Egg -1 -separated,
Vanilla- 1/2 tsp,
All purpose flour or maida- 1 cup or 130 gms ( sifted ),
Almonds- 3/4 cup or 80 gms,
Raspberry jam or any tart jam of your liking- 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Method-
Roast the almonds in 180 C for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven.
Let it cool and then coarsely chop them with your chef knife or grind them in a mixer.Be careful not make them into powder if grinding in the mixer.
Separate the egg.
Keep aside the egg white for coating the cookie balls.
In bowl of your mixer,beat the butter till smooth.
Add the sugar and beat till light and fluffy.( 2 to 3 minutes)
Add the egg yolk and vanilla essence and beat until combined.
Add the flour to the batter and beat until just combined.Gather the sides to the center.
The batter is too soft to roll into balls so cover with a foil and keep in the fridge for half hour to firm up.
Use a tablespoon for making even size ball or 1 inch ball,make 20 balls.
Roll each ball using both your palms and make round shape and keep aside.
Pre heat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Line your baking tray with butter paper.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl till frothy and place the coarsely chopped nuts in another bowl.
Dip each ball in the beaten egg using a fork and then roll them in the nut bowl.
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet spacing one inch apart.
Using your thumb make indentation into the center of each cookie.
The indentation should be half way through.
Do not press too hard as the dough is soft.
You can press together the sides if it breaks.
Mix the jam and using a tsp,fill each cookie with 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of jam.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cookies are set and the nuts are nicely browned.
Remove from oven and let it cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the butter paper.( can be easily removed form the butter paper)
Place the cookies on wire rack to cool completely.
The cookies are very crisp and the added taste of nuts with raspberry jam is too good.
Makes 20 cookies.
