Coconut Crisp Cookies

Cookies have always been famous among  people for its taste and crispiness. But a lot of friends have written to me that they are not able to make the perfect ones due to any mistake in either the recipe or the ingredients. 

Ingredients and baking time is a very important component when it comes to baking.

Ingredients
Flour : 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar : 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Vanilla Essence : 1 Teaspoon
Coconut Powder : 1/2 Cup
Butter : 1/2 Cup
Milk powder : 1 Tablespoon

Method 
Sieve and Mix  flour , baking powder , sugar , milk powder and coconut powder thrice.
Mix butter and vanilla and make a dough with soft hands using only fingers. 
Preheat the oven on 180 degrees centigrade .Grease a baking tray and apply butter paper to it.
Make small balls and give it a shape of cookies and place it on the baking tray keeping some distace between each cookie as they dough spreads in oven as it cooks.
Sprinkle some coconut shavings on each cookie to make it look beautiful.
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 17 to 18 minutes.
Its Done.

Tip: If you eat eggs then just brush egg whites over the cookies before baking and you will see a  beautiful white glaze after they are done!

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Book Fair

Wear the Old Coat and Buy the New Book. This Adage has been rightly connoted by Austin Phelps. Books have always been an individuals best friend and will always be. With the advent of this Electronic Media and a totally revolutionized  Tech-Savvy generation ,  the importance of paper books have dwindled away slowly but I still  believe reading a book with a cup of coffee has  its own charm. I am a  voracious reader and to me shopping for books and food is equivalent to shopping for dresses and sandals to any pretty lady.


Last Saturday I went to the 18th National Book Fair at Delhi held in Pragati Maidan. Armed with my laptop bag to fill in my share of new books and a bottle of water ,  I moved to the the ticket counter with utter bliss and joy. The ticket fare was extremely reasonable - Rs. 10 for students and Rs. 20 for adults.After passing the security check I followed the clutch of twenty and we all hoped in an A.C. Bus which was there to drop the Book Lovers to their ultimate destination .

As soon as I got down from the Bus , I looked around for a second to see the wonderful decoration of the venue. Large Flexes and Banners were put to help people by giving  a brief introduction about each hall and that was the twist- Fares in Delhi are actually put in those giant halls of Pragati Maidan where each hall had its special collection of books from kids to teenagers , from adults to older people.
Each step taken forward took me back in my childhood days where my sister and I used to eagerly wait for the book fare of Patna not only to buy those brand new books but also to have those yummy caramel popcorns , pink and white candy flosses and a can of Pepsi ( Pepsi was not easily available to kids during those days and was available only during some special occasions). 

My nostalgias took a backseat when I reached hall number 10 and saw a wonderful scenario. A big board was placed at some  stall which read Buy any for 50 and below it were hundreds of books  arranged loosely. From one side Jeffrey Archer was arresting my attention while at the other end Charles Dickens was virtually pulling my wrist to grab his copy and to make both of them  and most importantly me happy I brought a copy of both the books and marched ahead with some weight on my shoulders. Moving further , I even got a collection of short stories for just Rs. 20 as the Times Of India were selling it as a promotional material. The book actually costs Rs.150. I also went to my favorite Cookery Books stall and bought myself  a copy of Neeta Mehta as well as Sanjeev Kapoor to explore more about food.

While moving from one hall to another , I notice that there well many Flexes for a particular room - room Number 12 A. I wondered what was so  special about this hall and went  ahead to see it and I was totally amazed to see it. Throughout my life I had seen Automobiles Expo , Gadgets display  to even Fruit stalls but this was a total different concept - A Big giant hall all booked for Stationeries. I realized  " Thats why they call Delhi the Capital of the Second most Populous country".

I started from one corner of the stall and moved to the other. There were thousand varieties of pens to buy from different companies. I saw a beautiful jeweled vintage pen at a higher platform which was guarding its other subordinate pens like a King and just below it was a smaller pen bedecked with some diamonds shying like the Queen of the Writing Empire.

My eyes fell on a Hand paper stall which had large Hand made sheets in rolls as well as different products made from it like Handbags , cards , envelopes to even a lamp which stole hearts of many and the price again reasonable from Rs.100 to Rs.200.From this hall I got a white Hand made sheet for my Madhubani Painting and some writing pads to scribble on.

There was even an area made by  Sai Baba devotees which had a large tree with many flag and books of Sai Baba in the Hall.

When Sai Baba Devotees had such a gallant show then how could the Sikhs lag behind! Even they had their own stall with people in white clothes with a handkerchief tied on their head selling books and distributing their devotion towards the Almighty with  pamphlets.

This visit lasted for about good Five hours when suddenly my phone rang and got that very common Mother's  coming home Ultimatum . Relieving both Childhood in Adulthood, I got myself a can of Pepsi along with a packet of salted popcorn and took the metro and reached home with a complete satisfaction and excitement .

Marble Cake

Baking is itself an art which I love the most. Everything has be in that perfect proportion , neither overcooked nor undercooked and I am lucky enough to come from such a family where everyone is an excellent cook. Every occasion in our family is enjoyed with the most amazing food we all have where everyone participates equally. If Mom is making Curry then Dad is cutting salad to that ultimate precision. Granny Making pickles to Uncle stirring the dough.
Almost all of us have eaten a Vanilla - Chocolate Marble Cake , but today in the evening I tried this unique Marble cake with a totally different color combination. Yet , the baking method and ingredients simple and easily available.

Ingredients
Butter : 1/4 Cup
Eggs : 2
Milk : 1/2 Cup [To get that flowing consistency]
Vanilla Essence : 1 Teaspoon
Lemon Color : 2 Teaspoon
Orange Color : 2 Tablespoon
Sugar : 3/4 Cup
Flour : 1 1/2 Cup
Salt : A pinch
Baking Powder : 1 1/2 Teaspoon
Orange Juice : 3 Tablespoon
Orange Rind : 2 Teaspoon
Lemon Rind : 1 Teaspoon
Lemon Juice : 11/2 Teaspoon
Lemon Essence : 1 Teaspoon
Orange Essence : 1 Teaspoon

Method
Mix the flour , Baking Powder and salt thrice using a sieve.
Cream together the butter , vanilla essence and sugar . Add both the eggs to it and beat well till light and fluffy
Now mix flour and milk alternatively to the mixture to get the flowing consistency.
Mix them till the batter is smooth. Divide this batter into two equal parts.
In one portion add all the Orange extracts ( Orange Rind , Orange Juice , Orange Essence and Orange Color).
In the other portion add the Lemon Extracts ( Lemon Rind , Lemon Juice , Lemon Essence , Lemon Color).
Finally Grease a 8 inch Bread Mold Loaf or any baking tin. To it first pour the first layer and then the second one.
Bake this tin in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
Its Done

Tip: You can even make a Vanilla and Pink Marble Cake using Red Food Color for Pink Portion and normal Vanilla cake for the other portion.

Vegetable Noddles

Noodles is a totally delicious Chinese cuisine which has always been a hit not only amongst  kids and teenagers but also occupies a special plate  on Adults' platter. 

If made  a with lot of vegetables it becomes extremely healthy as well. Today  , I made it in the evening and within few minutes the bowl was empty.
Even though its simple to make , the purpose of me being mentioning it in my blog is that there are several tips u need to keep in mind while making it to get the desired result. Few Blunders and the noodles either becomes sticky or over cooked so here I m solving all your problems

Ingredients
Hakka Noodles : 150 grams
Cabbage : 1 medium sized [Cut Chinese Style]
Carrots : 2 [Cut Chinese Style]
Capsicum : 2 medium Sized [Cut Chinese Style]
Onions : 2 Medium [Cut Chinese Style]
French Beans : 1/2 cup [Cut Chinese Style]
Soya Sauce: 2 Tablespoon
Tomato Sauce : 4 Tablespoon
Chilly Sauce : 3 Tablespoon
Vinegar : 2 Teaspoon
Oil
Salt to Taste

Method
Boiling Noodles
In a large vessel , boil 6 cups of water and add a pinch of salt and 1 Tablespoon of oil to it.
Now put the noodles in boiling hot water and cook it open in a medium flame for 5 minutes. Not more than that because over boiling makes them sticky and messy.
As soon as it boils, remove the hot water from it and wash the noodles in running cold water for a minute. Drain out all the water and spread it over a platform for minimum 5 minutes.

Cooking Vegetables
While making Chinese always remember we never cook vegetables on a low frame for a lot of time. The vegetables are stir Fried on medium to high flame stirring continuously with proper attention. Cooking time in Chinese is less but the preparation time is more (i.e. in chopping veggies).
Heat oil in a wok and sauté onions in it for a minute and them add all the vegetables and stir fry them stirring continuously for 5 to 6 minutes.

Frying Noodles
On a non stick pan spread evenly oil and fry the noodles properly for a minute. This cooks the noodles properly side by side enhancing their flavor.

Finally mix the noodles with the vegetables adding all the sauces and salt. Do this procedure without the heat. Its done.

Tip: You can even use just a pinch of Ajino Moto  to enhance the taste.

Chilly Chicken

Today in the evening I made Chinese.The evergreen Recipe of Chilly Chicken


Ingredients
Boneless Chicken : 500 gm
Egg : 1
Green Chillies : 5 [Finely Chopped]
Ginger Crushed : 1 Teaspoon
Pepper Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Soya Sauce : 2 Tablespoon
Corn Flour : 2 Tablespoon
Onions : 2
Capsicum : 1[Diced]
Carrots : 2 [Diced]
Sugar : 1 Teaspoon
Water : 2 cups
Oil
Salt to Taste

Method 
Take 1 Tablespoon Soya sauce , 1 Tablespoon corn flour, salt  egg in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces in the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till cooked and golden brown.
In a separate wok heat 1 Tablespoon oil and add garlic paste and green chillies and sauté for few seconds.
Now add Onions , capsicum and carrots and stir fry them for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add water and bring it to bowl. To this add sugar , pepper powder, salt and remaining Soya Sauce.
Add fried chicken pieces t it and cook for few minutes.
Dissolve the remaining corn flour in water and add to the curry constantly in order to avoid lumps. Cook for 2-3 minutes and server Hot.

Tip: If you want to make it dry Chilly Chicken , add less water.

Muffins

Ever since i was a kid and always saw muffins , more than eating them what realized fantasized me was how are they made. Was Bakers some kind of magicians who knew the secret of folding in the batter and bringing out the best hand made creation.
So , heres a simple recipe to tickle your taste buds for any occasions or have it just like that!

Ingredients
All purpose Flour(Maida) : 11/2 Cups
Sugar : 1 Cup (Powdered)
Baking Soda : 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 Teaspoon
Vanilla Essence : 1 Teaspoon
Eggs : 2
Butter : 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder : 11/2 Teaspoon
Milk : 3/4 cup [Just to make a flowing consistency]

Method
Preheat Oven at 180 degrees centigrade
Put Muffin liners in 12 muffin tins
Cream butter and sugar till fluffy , beat in egg and mix well.
Mix Flor , salt and baking soda and baking powder.
Add milk and mix well.
Add vanilla Essence.
Combine everything well softly.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake in the oven for 180 degree centigrade.
Cake is done if the tooth pick comes out clean.

Tip: To check if the batter is ready to be baked. Pour the batter over water kept in a bowl, if the batter floats its done.

Fruit Delight Pudding

Today , I had  a conversation with one for my friends and we were recollecting our college days and how the journey had been so far and  I told him about my new initiative of writing a blog.

What he told me was very surprising to me that he never had a Pudding. So this is specially for you and all my other readers who never have had a pudding , the recipe of a pudding and how you can easily make it at u r home.

Its sweet and extremely tasty.

Ingredients 
Red Jelly :1/4 cup
Green Jelly : 1/4 cup
Dry Fruits : 3 Tablespoon
Fresh Cream : 4 Tablespoon
Milk  : 1 cup
Vanilla Custard Powder : 1 tsp
Seasonal Fruit : 1/4 cup
Sponge Cake : 1 small 


Method
Mix the custard powder with little milk. Boil the rest of the milk.When it comes to boil , while continuously stirring add the dissolved custard powder to the milk. Add sugar to it. When it thickens put off the flame and let it cool.
Beat the cream till light and frothy.
Cut the fruits in small pieces . Also cut the cake into small pieces.
Prepare both the jellies as instructed on the packet.
Now in the serving bowl, put the piece of cake , then the mixed fruits, custard , cut dry fruits , half jelly and half cream.
Refrigerate the mixture  and when fully set, top it with remaining jelly and cream.

Tip: For sponge cake base , you can get a basic Britania/Mongini' cake  which is available in the market.


Thanks!

Butter Crisp Cookies

Butter Crisp Cookies is a very simple Cookie yet delicious. The Ingredients which I have used in making them are the ones which is available in every kitchen but make sure you put the ingredients in exact proportions .


Ingredients 
All purpose Flour : 2 1/2 Cups
Butter : 1 Cup
Baking Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Sugar  : 1/2 cup [Powdered]
Vanilla Essence : 1 Tablespoon
Milk Powder : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : 1/2 Teaspoon
Cashew nut : 2 Pieces for Decoration. [Optional]

Method 
Cream butter and then beat them gradually.
Add the Vanilla essence and beat them till light and fluffy.
Sift Flour , Milk Powder , Sugar , Baking Powder thrice.
Knead the The Flour mixture with the butter mixture for 5 minutes with fingers. Do not use your palms in kneading just the fingers.
Shape them in small balls. Place on greased baking sheets and press a small cherry / Dry Fruit in the center of each ball.  
Bake on a high rack for 17-18 minutes for 200 degrees Centigrade.

Tip: If you want glaze on the cookie , just brush egg white on top of the cookie just before baking.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken

I m sure all non-vegetarians specially in India love Tandoori Chicken. Many feel that Tandoori Chicken can only be sold from the shop as only then it the chicken is crispy on the outside and tender from the inside.

Well , to all those people i would say it possible to make it in your home with your oven. I made it this Monday for evening snacks and my parents loved it.


Ingredients
Chicken Legs : 3
Ginger Garlic paste : 4 Tablespoon
Red Chilly Powder : 4 Teaspoon
Tandoori Chicken Powder : 2 Teaspoon [Optional]
Gram Flour (Besan) : 2 Teaspoon
Lemon Juice : 3 Tablespoon
Salt To Taste.
Kasoori Methi : 2 Teaspoon Crushed
Ghee : 4 Tablespoon

For Serving 
Onion : 1 [Sliced in rings]
Chaat Masala : 2 Teaspoon

Method 
Make 3 slits each in the the chicken.Marinate Chicken with Ginger-Garlic paste , salt and 2 Teaspoon of Red Chilly powder for 5 minutes.

Put a big bowl upside down in a pressure cooker. Place the chicken on the surface of upside down bowl and steam for 10 minutes. Make sure the water should only reach 1/3 rd depth of the bowl.

Now mix Tandoori Chicken Masala , Salt , remaining Red Chilly Powder , Gram Flour , Lemon Juice along with 3 Tablespoons of water and make a paste. Apply this mixture over the chicken.

Preheat the oven on 200 degrees. Put the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes at the same 200 degrees.
After 15 minutes , take out the chicken and put Ghee on it properly and cook again for 5 minutes .
After 5 minutes , Smear Ghee again and cook again for another 5 minutes.

Its Ready .Take it out. Sprinkle Chaat Masala , Lemon Juice ,Kasoori Methi and serve Hot.

Tip: If You have an Idli stand , you can put the chicken on it its top rack and steam.

Malai Kesar Kulfi

Kulfi

Kulfi is a traditional Indian Ice cream which has its own royal taste. Every time i made them at home , my friends and relatives always demanded for the recipe so that they could try it at their 

home.

So, here I am with an easy home made Kulfi. The recipe is quick 

but it takes time to set.

Ingredients:

Full Cream Milk : 1 litre

Sugar : 1 cup

Corn Flour : 2 Teaspoon

Pistachios : 1 Teaspoon (Sliced)

Cardamom Powder : 2 Teaspoon 

Saffron : Few Strands

Method:

Boil Milk in a thick bottomed pan ("Degchi") and and boil till the

quantity almost becomes one third.

Mix the corn flour in some water and add slowly to it stirring continuously to give it a nice thick consistency.

Add sugar and all other ingredients and cook for another 5 - 6 minutes stirring continuously to avoid burning of the milk at bottom.

Let it cool and refrigerate it till it hardens. After it hardens ,Blend it in the blender for 2 minutes.

Refrigerate again and blend it again.

After this process of refrigerating and blending twice is achieved . Finally , pour the mixture in a Kulfi mould and refrigerate it.

Its Ready. Plate it with Faluda and Rooh-Afza.

Tip: To get the Kulfi easily out of the mould , keep the mould in water for 2 minutes and it comes off easily with the lid.

Healthy Sanwich

This afternoon I was extremely tired after cleaning and dusting my room and was in no mood to cook. So, made this very innovative and easy to make sandwich which was yummy, filling and healthy.

Ingredients:
Bread: 4 Slices. (I used Multi grain Bread, though any bread can be used)
Mushrooms: 2 pieces
Onion: 1 medium
Tomato: 1 medium
Capsicum: 1
Carrot: 1 Grated.
Lettuce Leaves: 2
Mayonnaise: 2 Tablespoon
Tomato Ketchup: 2 Tablespoon
Chili Sauce: 1 Tablespoon
Pepper: 1 Teaspoon
Cheese: I Teaspoon Grated (Optional)
Red Chili Powder: 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Salt to Taste

Method:
Chop all the vegetables finely except Lettuce Leaves.. Microwave the Chopped Mushroom on high for 3 minutes so that they become cooked.

Mix all the Vegetables except Lettuce leaves in a bowl with Mayonnaise, salt and Pepper powder.
In a plate Put tow bread Slices adjacently. ON each put one Lettuce Leaf and top it up with the mayonnaise mixture. Finally put the tomato ketchup and chili sauce along with the grated cheese. Put the other two slices on each of them to cover them.

Grill the sandwich in microwave for 6 minutes. Give 3 minutes on each side.
It's ready! Serve it with Ketchup.

Tip: For Veggies you can use Grated Paneer , Corns , Bell peppers , Peas. It's totally up to you.

Mandi - The Local Veggie Vend

Mandi.

They say India is all about Snake Charmers and temples. What those people dint know is India is the land of diversity in terms of everything from culture, cuisines or styles. You name it and we have it all diversified. We always have believed in consuming everything fresh straight from the kitchen without freezing and storing it for days.

This Saturday I got this golden opportunity to see the most colorful combination of India, the weekly Mandi of Noida.

Mandi is mainly a place where all local vegetable sellers get together and sell those fresh fruits and vegetables at a comparatively lesser price. Generally, it's once in a week in a particular location and then these sellers move to another location to sell them on a different day. Well, I was lucky enough to live in a place where it happens on Saturday. So, my father and I armed with 2 jute designer vegetable bags went there.

The sight of the mandi was spectacular with all the vegetable sellers sitting in a proper line displaying their vegetables and shouting their own roll calls to attract the customers. The vegetables were fresh and looked beautiful all decorated in a line. The ripe rich tomato was shining in its own way while the Halloween Pumpkin had its own charm. There were altogether 3 varieties of apples of different price ranges for people of different section to have their own share of keeping the doctor away.

What really was surprising about this local bazaar was that not only there were fruits and veggies but also plastic crockery stall having all sorts of colorful tiffin and steel utensils. It was really lovely to see a little kid plucking her mother's sari and telling to buy her yellow tiffin and not that red one. The cost comparatively less again than the big supermarkets.

The sale of bangles and other feminine stuffs arrested my attention. Women throng towards the seller to buy a fair deal and have their own set of collections to compliment them with their own attire.

We filled our bangs with the fresh vegetable to complete our quota for a week and I also go tiffin to store my cookies. All in all it was an amazing experience and all you readers out there… Don't miss a chance if you get a chance to visit one!

Apologies for not so clear picture quality as couldn't take my Nikon there! 

Have a Happy Weekend!

Thanks!