Atta Biscuits .. Whole wheat cookies

Atta Biscuits .. Whole wheat cookies 

Atta Biscuits have been a constant source of happiness in my childhood days. Back in the day, the delicious cookies flaunted on a bakery's display, were made of egg and Maida. Two ingredients that I tried to avoid as much as possible. Atta Biscuits acted as a wonderful substitute to those. The warmth and feeling of an Indian home that Atta and Desi Ghee radiate made these Biscuits more than just a substitute. I tried recreating the look of Atta Biscuits using a fork and I might have managed to float back into my childhood days.

For healthier substitutes, I added Cardamom powder and Brown sugar instead of refined sugar. This recipe also gave me a varied option for my baking endeavours. While the recent cookies I baked related more to today's generation, this one managed to remind me of the less complex days. I hope you enjoy its warmth, crunch and nostalgia with a steaming cup of tea.

Preparation time : 20 min

Baking time : 15 to 18 min

Video Link : 

Ingredients :  

• Whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cup
• Ghee or butter 1/2 + 1 Tablespoon cup
• Brown sugar or normal sugar 1/2 cup (or according to taste)
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon or a pinch
• Baking powder 1 Teaspoon
• Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
• Milk 1/2 cup

Procedure : 

• In a bowl add ghee along with sugar. Mix it well with the help of whisk or beater till it is creamy 

• Now add cardamom powder then whisk it for a minute
• Let's add dry ingredients. In a bowl mix wheat flour salt and baking powder. Now add this to ghee and sugar mixture

• With the help of spatula or hand, mix it well and you will get a crumbly texture.
• Now add milk slowly slowly to this mixture and make a dough
• In case if you feel dough is bit dry add some more milk to it

• Now our cookie dough is ready so lets shape our cookies
• Side by side preheat your oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 180 degree centigrade 
• Take a portion of cookie dough in your palm and make a ball. Now place this on a butter paper and roll it with the help of roti roller 

• Place another butter paper on cookie dough so that you can easily flatten your cookie dough.
• Now with the help of knife remove the uneven edges.
• Cut the dough in rectangular shape and with the help of fork make some lines on the cookies as shown in video 

• Now place the in oven for 15 to 18 minutes or till the cookies are properly baked from all sides  

• Enjoy guilt free cookies with you tea or coffee

Punjabi Kadhi

Punjabi Kadhi 

Kadhi Chawal and Punjabi taste go hand in hand. As someone who comes from a Punjabi family, Kadhi has always been one of the preferred dishes in our home's menu. The distaste for Lauki and Tori has been almost as blatantly obvious as the love for Kadhi and Rajma Chawal among the kids. During my entire life I have never witnessed a person getting bored of Kadhi Chawal and so, I thought of sharing the recipe of this luxurious dish. It's also a dish that reminds us of 'Maa ke Haath ka khaana'. As a recipe, it has been passed down by our ancestors and would forever hold their affection and love.

Our worries towards our health has grown during the past few decades and so the diminishing amount of Ghee is no surprise. However, once in a while consuming Kadhi with a tadka of Desi Ghee in an amount that reminds your taste buds what royalty tastes like won't hurt. My modern 'tadka' comes in the form of greens (my daughter still disproves it though). As someone who lives in a high rise apartment, kitchen garden is a luxury that I can't afford. Various planters, though a substitute, don't come that close to a kitchen garden. However the Palak and Methi from these planters add a beautiful colour, taste and nutrition to my dish. So, enjoy this recipe that has been passed down for ages now and relish the warmth that it provides.

Preparation Time : 30 Min

Resting Time : 30 min to 1 hour

Cooking time : 30 Min

Ingredients :  

Video : 

For Kadhi : 

• Gramflour besan 2 Tablespoon
• Sour Curd 2 Cup (or if you have a normal curd just add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and keep it on room temperature for 30 mins
• Onion 1 sliced
• Curry Leaves 8 to 10
• Mustard seed 1 Teaspoon
• Pinch of hing
• Garlic finely chopped 1/2 Tablespoon
• Green chilly chopped 1 Teaspoon
• Salt according to taste
• Red chilly powder according to taste
• Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon 
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil 1 tablespoon
• Water 3 - 4 cup

For Pakora : 

• Gram-flour besan 1/2 cup
• Onion 1 finely chopped
• Potato 1 small finely chopped
• Spinach 10 to 15 leaves finely chopped
• Salt according to taste
• Green chilly chopped 2
• Red chilly powder according to taste
• Oil for frying
• Water as required

For Tarka Tempering : 

• Ghee 1 Tablespoon
• Curry leaves 5 to 6
• Mustard seed1/2 teaspoon
• Dry red chilly 2 to 3
• Red chilly powder 1/2 teaspoon 

Procedure : 

• For Kadi : 
• In a bowl add gram flour, curd, salt, fenugreek seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder mix it well so that no lumps are formed, now add water to this slowly slowly till you get a smooth texture. Keep this aside for 30 to 40 minutes 

• In a big heavy bottom pan add a tablespoon of oil heat it. Now add pinch of hing, mustard seed and fenugreek seeds. 

• Now add curry leaves, chopped garlic and green chillies roast it for a minute 

• Now add sliced onions cook it for 2 to three minutes once it is slightly cooked, add curd mixture. Stir continuously till it boils. Once kadhi starts boiling lower the heat and allow kadhi to cook for 20 to 25 minutes. 

• In the mean time let's prepare the pakora. In a bowl add chopped onions, potato, spinach,green chilly, salt, chilly powder along with besan. Now add some water your pakora mixture is ready.

• In a pan heat oil drop a spoonful of pakora mixture. Deep fry pakora on medium heat till it is nicely cooked and golden brown from all sides. 

• Take out pakora on a tissue paper
• Before serving add pakoras to the kadhi 

• Transfer kadhi in a serving dish and top up with the tadka. For tadka heat ghee in a pan reduce the flame add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilly and chilly powder. Pour this tadka on hot kadhi . Serve with boiled rice and enjoy ... 

Choco Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Choco Chip Oatmeal Cookies  

The lockdown has given me the opportunity to dance around my hobby and so I tried to mix my hobby with my principle of a healthy dish. I tried to make oatmeal cookies. These cookies to me seemed to carry the aroma of dreams, taste of lost hobbies and warmth of a family. On a rainy day, when I felt nostalgic and homesick these cookies took me back to my cozy home. On a warm day, when I want to take up my lost hobby these cookies fuel my passion. I have also managed to stick to my healthy food principle by adding oatmeal, substituting wholewheat flour for all purpose flour and using brown sugar and honey instead of sugar. The toppings were of dry fruits that children usually evade. I hope these cookies would be as wholesome as they were for me.

Preparation Time : 10 Min

Cooking Time : 18 - 20 min

Video Link : 

Ingredients :  

• Oatmeal 1 Cup
• Whole wheat flour 1 Cup
• Almond flour 1/2 cup
• Unsalted butter 100 gm (at room temperature)
• Brown sugar 1/4 cup
• Honey 2 tablespoon
• Vanilla essense 3 -4 drops
• Pinch of salt
• Choco Chips 2 Tablespoon
• Baking Soda 1/4 teaspoon
• Baking Powder 1/4 teaspoon 

Procedure : 

• Take Almonds around 1/2 cup in a grinder and coarsely grind it.
• In a bowl take butter and sugar, mix it well till it is light and creamy.

• Now add honey and vanilla essence and mix it well
• In a bowl add wheat flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, mix it well and sieve them 
• Now let's add dry ingredients to the butter and honey mixture. First add flour mixture, then almond flour along with oatmeal and a tablespoon of choco chips 

• Mix all together nicely and you will get a dough kind of texture. 

• Now keep this in refrigerator for 20 to 25 minutes
• Now preheat the oven for 10 minutes 
• On the baling tray place a butter paper or baking sheet take a spoon full of cookie dough, make a round ball and flatten it as shown in picture. Repeat the same steps with rest of the dough. 

• Garnish your cookies with some Choco chips. Now place the baking try in preheated oven and bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes at 180 degree C or till these these are golden brown 

• Once it is done remove the baking tray from oven and leave it for 2 to 3 minutes. Now transfer the cookies on wire rack and allow them to cool completely  

• Enjoy with a glass of milk or Cup of tea. 

Tips :  

• Store these cookies in an air tight jar
• If you feel dough is little dry add a tablespoon of milk.