Ampelmann ginger cookies

Ingredients:
Flour or maida-3 cups,
Baking pwd- 3/4 tsp,
Ground ginger-2 tsp,
    Cinnamon pwd-1 tsp,
Clove pwd- 1/ tsp,
Nutmeg pwd-1/ tsp,
Butter- 113 gms,
Brown sugar or white sugar -1/2 cup,
Egg -1,
Milk- 1/4 cup- optional - if the jaggery is dry then add milk to the dough while mixing to bind the dough,
Jaggery pwd (bhura)- 1/2 cup or molasses - 160 ml.

Method:
Take a bowl and add 3 cups of sieved flour.

Add dry ginger pwd,cinnamon pwd,clove pwd,nutmeg pwd and baking pwd through a sieve.

Mix all with wire whisk and keep aside.
In a mixer bowl,beat butter till soft and creamy.

Add powdered jaggery and brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes till light and fluffy.( if using molasses then add it after the egg is beaten )

Add egg and beat for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture in three additions,mixing only till just incorporated.

If using molasses then the dough ball will be sticky and so it will be wrapped in a  plastic wrap and will be refrigerated for thirty minutes to firm the dough.
My dough is not very sticky as jaggery powder is used.If the mixture is dry then add 1/4 cup of milk or less to bind the mixture.

Gather the dough into two balls or you can divide it into four balls to make it easier to roll.

Place each ball on a cling film and then top it with a cling film.

Roll the dough with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness.

Remove the top cling film.
Dip the Ampelmann cutter in plain flour and cut out the cookies.

My advice is to make in small batches so that the cut out cookies can easily be removed and do not break.
Gather the scraps and roll again to make more cut out cookies.
Place the cookies on a butter paper placed on the tray.
Leave some space between each cookies.
Place the tray with cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Pre heat oven to 350 F or 180 C
Once the oven is pre heated,bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.

The edges will start to brown,then the cookies are ready.

Place the baked cookies on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the butter paper and place it on wire rack to cool completely.

You can decorate the cookies with royal icing,chocolate or butter cream.
Ginger cookies has many spices and so it has its own flavour and taste and can enjoyed fresh from the oven.

Makes 38 cookies.
Store in a box.

Ool ka achar(Yam or Jimikand pickle)

 
This is my mother-in-law's recipe!
Thanks Bhibha di and Archana for  sharing this tasty pickle recipe which ma made.
The pickle has  come out very well!
This is a winter pickle and made in the month of november!

Ingredients:
Ool or jimikand or yam -1 kg,
Imli with seeds(tamarind)-one small piece or  size of one lemon,
Green chilli-50 gms-( the picture shows 100 gms but I used 50 gms only )
Garlic-2 pods or 50 gms,
Ginger-2 inch or 50 gms,
Mustard seeds-50 gms,
Lemon- 10,
Ajwain or carrom seeds-1 tsp,
Mangraila or kalonji or onion seeds-1 tsp,

Haldi or turmeric pwd-1 and 1/2 tsp,
Salt-4 and 1/2 tsp,
Mustard oil-1 and 1/4 cup.

Note: Ool or Jimikand or yam is boiled in tamarind water to remove the irritant. 
I have not used measuring spoons for the spices and salt,but regular tea spoons.

Method:
Wash and then chop the yam into big pieces.

Slice off the skin and cut into 2 inch pieces.

Wash again and put them in a cooker.
Add 3 cups of water and a piece of tamarind.

Raise the heat to high and let the cooker give out 3 whistles.
Once the cooker has cooled down,check the pieces by inserting a knife.

If hard,then leave it to boil till done.
You can use a pan to boil the yam if not using cooker.
Once boiled,then strain the water through a sieve.

Spread a clean muslin cloth on a tray or big plate.
Pick up the boiled yam pieces and spread it on the cloth.
Remove any tamarind if sticking on the pieces with a clean cloth.

Place the boiled yam to dry in the sunlight for few hours.

As the yam is drying, we prepare the spices.
In between turn the sides so that the yam pieces are evenly dried.

Spices:
Heat 1 and 1/4 cup of mustard oil in a kadhai.

Once the oil reaches a smoking point,close gas.
Leave it to cool.
Wash the green  chillies and lemon and wipe dry with a cloth.
Once wiped dry,remove the stick of the green chilli and make a slit lengthwise.
If the chilli is long chop into half.
Keep in a bowl.

Cut each lemon into half and strain out the juice through a lemon press and collect in a bowl.

Take two garlic pods and peel and divide into two parts.
One half is sliced or crushed and the other half will be made into a paste.
Like wise we peel the ginger and divide into two parts.

One half of ginger is cut into thin slices and the other half is grated or made into a paste.

Grind the mustard pwd in a grinder.

Once the mustard is powdered,add the garlic paste and  ginger paste.

Add half of lemon juice and grind into a paste.

Take out in a bowl.

Assemble:

Take a large bowl and place the dried yam in it.

 Break all the yam pieces using your fingers to make it into small chunks.

Add slit green chillies,sliced garlic pieces,sliced ginger pieces,mustard ginger garlic lemon paste.
Add ajwain seeds,kalonji or onion  seeds,turmeric pwd and salt.
Add the leftover lemon juice.

Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Once the spices are mixed,taste the yam and adjust salt or lemon juice accordingly.

Pour  half cup of the cooled mustard oil.

Mix again.
Place the bowl in a sunlight area for few hours.

In the evening, transfer the yam mixture into a clean jar.

Pour the left oil in the jar(3/4 cup).

Cover the mouth of the jar  with a clean cloth.

The jar is kept in the sunlight for four days.
Keep tossing and turning the pickle everyday.
The colour of the green chilli will change from bright green to light as the pickle gets ready.

Taste the pickle and you should not get any irritant.

The readyness of the Pickle will depend on the day temperature and sunlight.
This is a winter pickle and will survive only for the winter months.
To last it longer,keep the bottled pickle in the fridge.