Suruttai Poli the “sweet rolls ” for ICC!
It was after Srivalli’s post that I was quite poppin out this wonderful snack.Thanks to Nithya for choosing such a wonderful recipe.This simple yet yummy snack has been a big hit with the kiddos..
Heres the recipe for this wonder snack..
SURUTTAI POLI
For the filling:
1 cup Roasted gram
1 cup sugar
20cashew nuts cut into small pieces
1tbsp grated coconut
1tsp cardamom powder
1tsp Ghee
Powder the roasted gram and sugar together either coarsely or to a fine powder.Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts till golden in colour and add in the coconut and turn off the heat.Mix it with the powdered gram-sugar mix in a bowl.
For making the poli/Appalam:
1 cup all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
oil for frying
In a bowl combine flour with salt and add in water to make a stiff dough.Let it rest for 30 minutes.Pinch out small balls and roll them out into thin discs.Prick the rolled out discs with a fork so that they dont puff up while frying.Heat oil in a kadai and fry the discs before they turn colour.Be careful not to turn them crispy.On removing the poli from the oil spread the filling on to the poli and roll them tightly.These rolls are soft when they are hot ,but they become crispy when they are allowed to cool.
Wheat Almond Cookies for this months Sweet Punch!
This months punch ..Wheat Almond Cookies.. was chosen by Ria from Manjula’s Kitchen .If you are in a mood to bake out cookies super quick and simple this is the best recipe.My modifications to the recipe was that I added almond meal to the dough in lieu to the sliced almonds and topped the cookies with almonds.I did lessen the sugar to about 3 tbsps.
Here’s the recipe for this crunchy delight..
EGGLESS WHEAT ALMOND COOKIES
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp elaichi coarsely powdered
1/2 cup Butter
2 tbsp milk
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees farenheit.
- In a bowl mix flour,sugar,salt,sliced almonds and cardamom powder.
- Add soft butter and milk to the mix and knead it into a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal parts and roll them into balls.
- Press each ball between palms tp half inch thickness and place them on cookie sheets about an inch apart.
- Bake for 18 mins till light brown.
- Let cookies cool for about 2 to 3 mins before taking them off the cookie sheets
Store the cookies in an airtight container and ..MUNCH on 🙂
Paneer Butter Masala..to butter your senses!
Paneer curries are quite a fav with my kids.Last day when I made Paneer Butter masala for them,Surjeeth was planning a photo shoot with the curry..while my little one was all tears thinkin that my camera was going to gobble up the curry 😀
Well here’s the recipe
2oog of Paneer
4 big tomatoes
3 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 large onions chopped
25gms of cashewnut paste
3 green chillies (julian cut)
2tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1tsp garam masala
4tbsp butter
1/2 tsp of Kasuri methi powder/dry fenugreek powdered
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp curd
Salt as needed
- Boil the tomatoes with water and on cooling peel the skin of the tomatoes.
- In a mixer grind the tomatoes into fine paste.
- In a heavy bottomed pan pour butter and slightly fry and seperate the paneer cubes till golden.
- In the remaining butter saute the onions till brown.Now add in the ginger garlic paste and cashewnut paste and saute for a minute.
- When well sauted add in the tomato paste.When it starts simmering add in the chilli powder,garam masala and kasuri methi powder.
- When the flavour comes out and simmers well , add in the fresh cream.
- Switch off the flame and granish with freshly cut coriander leaves and butter.
A creamy and crunchy treat for this months DB!
This months DB was quite a yummy challenge ..thanks to Mallory of Sofa In the Kitchen.The month of Feb has been quite tiring after my sons birthday, they were both infected by chicken pox.So I was lagged up in my posts..
This months challenge was Panna cotta and Florentine cookies.For the Panna cotta my first choice of fruit was strawberries..but when I looked through my window and saw the ripe tree tomatoes in my garden I dropped the strawberry idea .
HONEY PANACOTTA
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch of salt
- Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk . Let it stand for 5 minutes .
- Pour the milk into the saucepan and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes whisking a few times.
- Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.
- Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
TREE TOMATO GELEE
- Sprinkle gelatin over water.
- Place fruit and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Now mix the gelatin into the tree tomato mixture and stir until gelatin has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Now layer it with the panacotta in the glass.After layering with the gelee refrigerate it for 45 minutes.
The Oatmeal Florentine cookies were a mere delight for my kiddos. :)It was super Crunchy!
OATMEAL FLORENTINE COOKIES
2 cups quick oats
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups dark or milk chocolate
Preheat oven to moderately hot 190°C. Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
A bite of the Marbled Loaf !
This year I have actually missed my blogging to a great extend.I’m trying to patch up… 🙂
Marble cakes and checkerboard cakes have always been my favs..Heres a recipe from Dorie Greenspan ‘s book..
2 cups and 2 tbsps of all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsps of butter at room temperature
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
- Preheat oven to 325 degree F and butter and dust a loaf pan with flour.
- Whisk flour,baking powder and salt.
- Beat the butter until smooth.Add sugar and beat for about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.Beat in the vanilla.Add in the flour mix in three seperate additions along with the milk.Donot overbeat.
- Now divide the batter equally and to one part add Cocoa mix(2tbsp of cocoa powder +1/4 cup of milk)
- Scrape both the batters in a loaf pan.
- I baked the cake for about an hour in my oven.Bake till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
A cake to kick start the new year!
Hii…
Hope u all rocked this years New year celebrations!
This cake was for the our family get together.The kids had a blast …
The white snow cake was chocolate devil cake with marshmallow frosting.Thanks to Lidia for the lovely codettes..they really matched my snowmen..:D The santa cake was yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting.
On New year eve everyone was waiting for the clock to tick 12.00..guess what happened..there came the power cut…we were all celebrating the minute in candlelight with the mosquito choir in the back drop..:P
The best part was after cutting the cake..the kids were busy gobbling the figures…
Christmas n Cakes!
May the Joys of the season
Fill your heart with goodwill and cheer.
May the chimes of Christmas glory
Add up more shine and spread
Smiles across the miles,
To-day & In the New Year.
Kashmiri Dum Aloo for ICC!
Dum Aloo has been one of my favs for a long time and this month when Srivalli and Lataji chose it as this months challenge..I was quite looking forth to it.Tandoori Naans was my combi with this curry.I have been posting quite late on my blog these days…with my younger one starting on play school…sorry Srivalli for the late post! 🙂
Reading through this post I’m sure your eyes stop at a snap with scenic snap..u c those white storks..i know i haven’t quite zoomed them(the view was the back part of my house).The reason for the white storks lurking next to the dum aalo …he he..while I was clickin the curry ..I couldnt help my self from shooting these white beauties..
Ok..guess I have done enough of blabbering ..now off to the Dum Aloo
Baby potatoes 1 Kg
Cumin seeds, – 1 tsp, roasted gently and ground into a powder
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Kashmiri red chillies – 3-4 nos roasted and powdered
Fresh yoghurt – 2 1/2 cups (must not be sour)
Ginger powder – 1 tsp
Fennel/aniseed powder – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil – 4 tbsps
Cloves roasted and powdered – 6
A pinch of asafetida
Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil to deep fry potatoes
Salt to taste
A cup of firm dough made from flour and water
- Wash the potatoes well and poke them all over with a fork. Soak them in water for 20 mintues adding a teaspoon of salt to it.
- Heat a pan with oil and deep fry the potatoes till golden in colour. Drain them on a kitchen towel .
- Make a paste of curds/yogurt, chili powder, ginger, cardamom and fennel powders. Then add the potatoes well with this paste and keep it aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in another pan, add the clove powder and asafoetida and mix well.
- Then add a half cup of hot water and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
- To this mix, add in the potato-yoghurt mix, stir thoroughly and cover.
- To do the dum, seal the edges of the pan’s cover with the dough to ensure no steam can escape. Put on the stove, cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the flame, remove the cover and add the cumin and garam masala powders, and cover again quickly. Leave for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with Chapatis or Naan
A bite into an Apple Crostata for this months DB!
1 and 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 stick [8 tablespoons ] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl
- Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
- Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
- Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
- Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
- Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
- Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.
- Heat the oven to 375ºF [190ºC/gas mark 5].
- Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.
- To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.
- Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
- If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin’s width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
- Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
- If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
- Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
- Prick the bottom of the dough in several places with a fork.
- Blind bake the dough in the oven for about 20- 25 minutes.
- Let the pasta frolla to cool completely.
- Spread the pastry creme on top of the dough and the apple toppings on top of it.
- You can use the reserved pasta frolla to decorate with strips or to cut out shapes on it.
- Now place the crostata in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes .
Let it cool before slicing.Serve with whipped cream.Hope u all be looking forth to try this out…:)
Hi! I am Nimi Sunilkumar…an award winning cookbook author /culinary demonstrator/freelance writer / food photographer/food blogger …spiced with the flavors of food..
