These biscuits are very similar to those that I had as a child. My dad would take ghee or clarified butter, atta or whole wheat flour, and sugar to the local bakery and they would turn the ingredients into the most delicious biscuits. Through these biscuits nostalgia meets taste.
Ingredients
Atta or whole wheat flour 1 cup
Ghee or clarified butter 1/2 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Milk 3 tbsps
Method
Mix the atta, ghee and sugar till they resemble bread crumbs.
Add the milk a tablespoon at a time and make a soft dough.
Flatten it using the heel of your palm to a 1/4” thickness disc and using a cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. I used a cake scraper to make a light pattern on the biscuits.
Arrange them on a greased baking tray. Bake in a 170 degree C oven for 20 minutes.
This Middle Eastern bread with the flavourful za’atar spice is an ideal snack. It can be served with a green salad, lab Meh or feta cheese. I was introduced to za’atar when I was suffering from nausea and it cured me. I have been a fan since.
Ingredients
(Makes 20)
All-purpose flour 3 cups
Yeast 3 tsps
Water 1 cup
Sugar 2 tsps
Olive oil 2 tbsps
Salt 1/2 tsp
Za’atar spice 4 tbsps mixed with 4 tbsps of olive oil
Method
Add the sugar to lukewarm water and sprinkle the yeast on it. Mix and let it stand for 5 minutes.
Mix the salt and olive oil with the flour. Use your fingers to rub in the oil.
Add the yeast mixture and make a dough.
Sprinkle flour on the counter top and knead the dough for 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and let it rise for 2 hours. The dough should double in volume.
Punch the dough and make 20 balls. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Using your fingers punch the dough into flat circular discs. Spread the za’atar and olive oil mix on top.
This dish with garlicky cream sauce with peperoncino flakes and aged cheddar cheese is delicious and healthy. You can use any pasta though I have used macaroni. The broccoli and capsicum give it a lovely fresh green colour.
Ingredients
Macaroni pasta 2 cups, cooked al dente
Broccoli florets 1 cup
Capsicum 1 medium, sliced
Mushrooms 200 g, sliced
Garlic 10 cloves, minced
All-purpose flour 1 tbsp
Milk 1 cup
Fresh cream 1 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Peperoncino flakes 1 tbsp
Cheddar cheese 1 cup, grated
Olive oil 2 tbsps
Butter 30 g
Method
Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy bottomed frying pan.
Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Take care not to burn the garlic.
Add the mushrooms and fry till all the moisture evaporates. When the mushrooms turn brown, add the broccoli and capsicum. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the flour and fry for a minute. Add the milk and stir till it thickens. Add the salt and pepper powder.
Add the cream and mix well.
Add the pasta and fold it into the sauce. See that the pasta is completely covered by the sauce.
Garnish with cheese, peperoncino flakes and coriander sprigs.
The fresh light-as-air buns go very well with a mixed vegetable curry that is slow cooked and mashed. A street food from the western part of India, this dish is great for any meal— breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is a lovely snack as well.
Ingredients
For the pav (buns):
Milk 1 1/4 cup
Yeast 2 tsps
Sugar 2 tsps
All-purpose flour (maida) 2 cups
Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 cup
Salt 1 tsp
Butter 2 tbsps + 1 tbsp
For the bhaji (vegetable curry):
Potatoes 2 large, peeled and diced
Peas 3 cups
Cauliflower 1 small, cut into florets
Tomatoes 3 medium, chopped
Green chillies 3, minced
Capsicum 1 medium, diced
Onions 2 medium, sliced and 1 small, minced
Ginger 1” piece
Garlic 5 cloves
Coriander leaves, a big bunch, minced
Oil 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 2 tsps
Red chilli powder 2 tsps
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder (dry mango powder) 1 tsp
Method
For the pav:
Take one cup of warm milk in a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Mix and let it prove for 5 minutes.
Sieve the flours and salt together and add to the yeast mixture. Mix to form a dough. Add 1/4 cup of milk to the dough and work it on a lightly floured surface for 10-12 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of softened butter and knead the dough till it is soft.
Put it into a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. It should double in volume by now.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 balls.
Arrange them on a greased baking tray and brush with melted butter.
Cover and let it rise again for 20 minutes.
Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20 minutes. Brush the hot buns with melted butter. Let them cool in the tray.
Pull the buns apart when ready to serve.
For the bhaji:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds.
When the seeds stop sputtering, add the sliced onions.
Sauté till the onions turn a light brown. Crush the ginger and garlic in a pestle and add to the onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the diced potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets, peas, capsicum and tomatoes.
Add the salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, amchoor powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and cumin powder.
Mix well. Add 3 cups of water and cook on high flame till the water boils. Reduce the flame, cover the pan and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
Mash the the vegetables with a potato masher but don’t make it completely mushy.
Cook till the vegetable medley is thick. Garnish with butter, minced onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.
This combination of fried Indian bread made from all-purpose flour and chickpea or garbanzo bean curry is a favourite across the country. It is easy to make as well. I have broken down the recipe into workable bytes.
Ingredients
For the chole (chickpea curry)
Kabuli chana (dry chickpea or garbanzo beans) 1 cup
Onions 1 large, sliced
Tomatoes 2 medium, sliced
Green chillies 2, slit
Potatoes 2 medium, cubed
Coriander powder 2 tbsps
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder or dry mango powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Ginger 1” piece
Garlic 5 cloves
Oil 2 tbsps
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
For the Bhature (fried bread):
All-purpose flour 3 cups
Yoghurt 5 tbsps
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Method
Soak the chickpeas or garbanzo beans overnight. Wash and drain the chickpeas and steam along with the baking soda in a pressure cooker. Let it cook for four whistles on high flame and one on low flame. Switch off the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Pound the ginger and garlic in a pestle to make a crushed paste.
Heat oil on a heavy bottomed pan and sauté the onions till they become transparent.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell disappears.
Add the steamed chickpeas with 2 cups of water.
Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, amchoor and salt.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes and green chillies.
Cover and cook on medium heat till the potatoes are cooked. Add water if needed.
When the potatoes are done, add the garam masala and cook for two minutes more.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
Add the yoghurt and make into a soft dough. Add water if needed.
Add 1 tbsp of oil and knead the dough for two minutes.
Cover and let rest for an hour.
Make into small lemon-sized balls.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface into circles and deep fry in hot oil. Ensure the oil is hot, but not smoking. Test with a small piece of dough and it should immediately rise to the surface. This will ensure that the Bhature are not oily.
Serve hot bhaturas with the choley and sliced raw onions.
This was a favourite with my son when he was in primary school. I would make a batch every Sunday so that I could pack a couple in his lunchbox or recess.
Ingredients
All-purpose flour 1 1/4 cup
White sugar 1/2 cup
Brown sugar 3/4 cup
Egg 1
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Unsalted butter 1/2 cup, melted
Chocolate chips 1/2 cup
Dark chocolate 1 cup, roughly chopped
Method
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt.
Mix the sugars and butter in a bowl.
Add the egg and beat with a electric whisk till the mixture is a light brown and fluffy.
Fold in the flour and both kinds of chocolate.
Leave the dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
Scoop out small balls of the dough and arrange on a greased tray. Leave enough space for the dough to spread.
Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 12-15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and take the cookies out when they turn a light brown.
Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container when completely cool.
This dish is cooked in a slow cooker for about five hours so that the flavour of the sauce and the meat permeates the vegetables, making a hearty meal by itself. A great dish for family dinners, especially in winter.
Ingredients
(Serves 10)
Sausages 10-15, diced
Potatoes 2 large, peeled and diced
Capsicum 2, diced
Carrots 3 large, peeled and diced
Spring onions 8, diced
Milk 1 1/2 cups
Water 2 cups
Fresh cream 1 cup
Salt to taste
Italian herbs 2 tbsps
Cayenne pepper 1 tsp
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Tomato pasta sauce 4 tbsps
Cheddar cheese 250 g, duced
Coriander leaves, a large bunch, roughly chopped
Method
Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours till the potatoes are cooked.
On my visit to the Garhwal Himalayas in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, my friend’s cook introduced me to a local lentil, a variety of horse gram. The local residents make this using a herb that grows in the region, jambu, and a native spice called gandherni.
I could not get it where we were staying, however, as it was remote with only a tiny shop selling essentials at the foot of the mountain. So I decided to try to cook it with the ingredients available in my friend’s kitchen. It turned out delicious with a lovely, earthy taste.
Ingredients
Gahat ki dal 1 cup, soaked for two hours
Turmeric 1 tsp
Garlic 10 cloves, chopped
Ginger 1” piece, chopped
Onion 1 large, sliced
Tomato 1 large, chopped
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Green chillies 3, sliced
Coriander leaves 1 bunch, chopped
Tomato 1 small, sliced
Salt to taste
Mustard oil 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Method
Wash and steam the dal with the turmeric in a pressure cooker.
Heat the mustard oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the garlic. Sauté for two minutes.
Add the ginger and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the sliced onion and sauté till they turn translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft.
Add the cooked dal.
Add the coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.
Add 1/2 cup water and cook covered for 10 minutes on a low flame.
Add the garam masala and cook for another five minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with green chillies, coriander leaves and tomatoes.
This dish was created by my mom as a healthy packed lunch for my sister when she started working. Made from cooked rice, this is easy to assemble and make. It is a delicious lunch option.
Ingredients
(Serves 5 persons)
Rice 2 cups, cooked
Tomatoes 2 large, sliced
Onions 2 medium, sliced
Coconut oil 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Sambar powder 5 tbsps
Salt to taste
Curry leaves for garnish
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed wok and add the mustard seeds.
When the seeds stop sputtering, add the onions. Sauté till they turn a light brown.
Add the tomatoes and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat till they soften.
Add the sambar powder and sauté for two minutes.
Add the rice and salt and mix well till the masala coats the rice grains completely
Chills & Chillies 