Masala Cookies

Cookies always hold their place for munching and snacking. Teatime is associated with sweet cookies but savory cookies are special, more so when you get a “kick” from the taste. These cookies turned out well and were good “anytime” munchers .

 

Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies)

All purpose flour 1½ cups

Semolina 2 tbsp

Milk powder 2 tbsp ( I used gulab jamun mix and it gave a good texture)

Butter 1 brick (US measure =113 g) or 100 g; cubed and at room temperature

Sugar 2 tbsp

Salt ½ tsp

Yogurt (chilled) 3 tbsp

Baking powder ½ tsp

Baking soda ½ tsp

 

Spices

¦  Finely diced chillies (green/red) 3

     ¦   Fresh coriander leaves cut fine ¼ cup ( 3 tbsp)

¦ Black pepper powder ½ tsp

Method

• Sieve together APF, semolina, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• Add the butter, yogurt and sugar and mix well to get a crumbled texture. You can use a hand blender too but make sure to blend at low speed and just enough to get a crumbly texture.
• Add the spices and mix well to get a fluffy dough that is moist enough but not wet.
• Divide the dough into half and roll the dough into two cylindrical logs of 3 cm diameter .
• Wrap the dough in cling wrap film and leave in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours to get a moderately stiff dough
• Preheat the oven to 170° C  (336°F) and line the baking trays with parchment paper.
• Remove the cling wrap from the rolls and slice them into disks of ¼” thickness and place them in the trays 1″ apart.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and transfer to cooling tray.

Chef’s Note

• If you want the cookies to be spicier, you can add ½ tsp of red chilli powder to the mix.
• If you want to indulge with  cheese, add ¼ cup grayed cheddar cheese when you add the spices to the mix.

Palak Dal

 

 

Basic recipe of dal made from chana dal and moong dal can have variations to add taste and variety. One of the healthiest variations is to add spinach to make a wholesome dish rich in protein and iron.

Ingredients

Spinach 1 bunch (finely cut spinach should be rinsed with water)

Onion   medium-sized (1 big in US)

Tomato 2  big (in US medium-sized)

Ginger  1 tsp (grated)

Moong dal 1 cup

Green chilies 2 slit

Turmeric powder ¼ tsp

Red chili powder ½ tsp

Salt 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method

• Add water to the dal in a bowl till it is  just immersed and add the turmeric powder and pressure cook for four whistles. Mash the dal well on cooling.
• Cut the spinach into fine shreds and rinse with sufficient running water to remove all the mud from the leaves. Blanch the same in hot water and drain the water. Alternately, you can pressure-cook it for one whistle after sauteing onions.
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add cumin seeds. When the seeds start sputtering add the finely diced onions and saute till the get transparent/translucent. Adding a pinch of salt helps in speeding up the process
• Add the slit chillies and chilli powder and saute for a minute and add the blanched spinach and saute for 5 minutes on low flame.
• Add the tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes till the puree looks cooked.
• Add the mashed dal and salt and cook for a couple of minutes (till boiling starts) for all ingredients to mix well and give a homogeneous texture.
• Serve with chapatis or rice

Chef’s Note

• In case you prefer to cook the spinach in the cooker, add the spinach to the sauteed onions cook for one whistle all other steps being the same.