SHORT BREAD SANDWICH COOKIES

Hi friends, I prepared the cookies for last month HBC, but somehow I couldn't post on the particular time. I prepared the yummy and crispy sandwich cookies for my cousin who is pregnant now. I packed the cookies for her and she was really enjoyed it well. 

Category	Cookies
Regional	Universal
Preparation Time	120 Minutes
Baking Time	20-25 Minutes
Yield	12 Pairs

Source - momitforward.com

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour – ¾ Cup + more for dusting the work surface & rolling pin

Salt – A Pinch

Unsalted butter – 6 Tbsp

Granulated sugar – ¼ Cup

Vanilla essence – ½ Tsp

Mixed fruit jam – 3 Tbsp

Confectioner’s sugar – For dusting the cut-out cookies.

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.
• In a bowl mix together butter and sugar until they are just combined.
• Add the vanilla to it and mix it once.
• In another mixing bowl sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture and combined well to make dough.

• Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30-60 minutes.
• Roll the dough ¼ inch thick and cut 2 ¾ inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With ½ of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a straw or cutter.
• Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

• Spread the jam on the flat side of each solid cookie.
• Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioner’s sugar and press the flat sides together, with the jam in the middle and the confectioner’s sugar on the top.  
• Serve it... 

Delicious and Crispy Sandwich Cookies!!!

ENJOY WITH YOUR TEA TIME!!

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PEPPER MILK I MILAGU PAAL I HOT DRINK FOR COLD & COUGH

Hello friends, today’s post are a spicy drink, pepper milk or Milagu Paal, this hot milk is such a perfect remedy for cold and cough. My mom used to make out whenever we suffer from cold and cough. Its simple yet very valuable spicy drink prepared with hot milk, turmeric, pepper, cardamom and honey or panam karkandu (Palm Sugar) or white sugar.

It gives super effect against cold and cough; I used to have the medicinal drink when I get cold. Nothing will beat the milk which sooth immediately the nose, throat. The drink can be had after dinner as it will include good sleep, clear phlegm, cut down irritation in throat and make you feel relieved. The aroma of turmeric and cardamom boiling along with milk hit our nostrils.

Benefits of these ingredients for Cold

Turmeric

• Medicinal value of turmeric is due to the compound curcumin.
• There are three different curcuminoids present in turmeric they are diferuloylmethane, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Of the three diferuloylmethane is present in higher amounts and is responsible for the color and medicinal value of the herb.
• Curcumin serves as an anti-inflammatory agent and also possess anti-bacterial and anti-viral action.
• These properties of turmeric aid in treatment of bacterial and viral infections such as cough and cold.
• The anti-inflammatory action of curcumin aids in relieving the chest congestion that develops in people suffering with chronic cough.
• Use of volatile oil extracted from turmeric for cough is also very promising in relieving cough by getting rid of phlegm.

Honey 

• It has been considered a wonderful healing agent for ages. It is a sweet and viscous fluid made by honey bees from the nectar of flowers.
• Honey comes in a variety of colors, from almost white down to darker colors such as amber, red, or brown. 
• Honey is considered to be one of the best natural remedies for sore throats, coughs and general cold symptoms.
• Honey has long been used in various natural sore throat remedies ranging from teas to syrups. Even today many commercial preparations for sore throats and coughs (such as lozenges) are still primarily based on honey. 

Pepper

• Pepper is added in tonics for cold and cough. Pepper gives relief from sinusitis and nasal congestion.
• The antibacterial property of black pepper helps to fight against infections, insect bites etc.

Cardamom

• Cardamom is an effective remedy for cold & cough caused due to throat irritation.
• It helps dilution of thick cough and its allied problems like bronchial congestion providing a demulcent and soothing effect on respiratory tract. 
• It prevents reflex coughing and stimulates normal mucous secretion.

Category	Beverages - Hot
Regional	Indian
Preparation Time	5 Minutes
Cooking Time	10 Minutes
Servings	1

INGREDIENTS

Boiled milk – 1 Glass

Turmeric Powder – ¼ Tsp

Black Peppercorns – 10

Green Cardamom – 2  

Honey – To taste

METHOD

• Crush the peppercorn and cardamom seeds in mortar and pestle or mixer.
• Pour milk in a sauce pan, add turmeric powder let it boil for 1 minute.
• Add the crushed pepper and cardamom boil it for 30 seconds and strain it.
• Now add honey to your taste stir it once.

• Drink hot pepper milk for your cold and cough.

HOT N SPICY PEPPER MILK!!!

NOTE

• You can replace the honey with sugar or panam karkandu (Palm Sugar)
• Add pinch of dry ginger to get extra medicinal effect.
• Add saffron if you like the flavor.

POORI/INDIAN PUFFED BREAD

Hello friends, hope you enjoyed well your weekends… Well! I start the week with hot and puffed “bushu bushu Poori”. I know you all love poori very much compared to chapathi. Yeah! I love poori a lot with poori masala, kurma, channa gravy, chole masala, dal, chutneys and even with sugar too…

Usually the poori will prepared from whole wheat flour, maida or semolina too… Did you see the road side food shop their puffed poori will always in the puffed condition it never sink and it look like ball shape, right? I love that type of poori but it’s not hygienic coz it’s opened in air pollution. Did you know the secrets of that poori???

The secret ingredient is semolina or rawa or sooji… Yes! That is the main ingredient to hold the puffed texture of poori and it will good taste too. Whenever I feel to have that type of puffed poori, we used to prepare with rawa.

Category	Breakfast
Regional	Indian
Preparation Time	5 Minutes (Except resting time)
Cooking Time	10-15 Minutes
Servings	4

INGREDIENTS

Whole wheat flour – 1 ½ Cup

Semolina (Rava or Sooji) – ¼ Cup

Salt – To taste

Water – As required

METHOD

• Take a wide bowl add wheat flour, rava and salt mix it well.
• Now make well in the center of the flour and add enough water knead it well into smooth dough.
• Cover it with kitchen towel and keep it aside for ½-1 hour.

• Heat enough oil in a heavy bottom pan to deep fry.
• Knead the dough once and divide into small balls.
• Roll the dough using rolling into small circle or at your desired shape or with cookie cutter.
• To check if the oil is hot for frying the pooris, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil, if it sizzles and comes up to the surface immediately, then its right temperature for frying. If the dough becomes dark brown then the oil is too hot and don’t over heat the oil till smoking point.

• Now put the rolled dough into the oil and deep fry it on medium flame till turns golden brown, it will nicely puffed up. Take it from oil and keep it in absorbent paper.
• Serve hot pooris with your choice of side dishes. 

HOT AND CRISPY POORI IS READY!!!

Check Out side dishes for the poori 

• Instant Kurma/No extra veggies
• Chole Masala Gravy
• Dal Tadka/Dal Fry
• Sprouted Greenpes Aloo Curry
• Onion Gravy

INSTANT KURMA/ NO EXTRA VEGGIES

Hi friends, today’s post for VeganThursday event which is initiated by Priya Suresh akka from Priya’s VersatileRecipes. We members post vegan recipes every first and last Thursday of each month.

We used to prepare instant kurma when any other vegetables not available or no time to prepare. We can prepare the kurma in a jiffy and its wonderful combo for poori and chapathi… I made it for poori and its so delicious and wonder match for poori. The cashew nuts and almonds will give the rich taste and add nutritious to it.   

Category	Kurma/Gravy
Regional	Indian
Preparation Time	5 Minutes
Cooking Time	20-25 Minutes
Servings	4-5

INGREDIENTS

Oil – 1 Tbsp

Cinnamon – 1 small piece

Cloves - 2

Cardamom – 1 silted  

Fennel seeds – 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 Tsp

Urad dal – 1 Tsp

Onion – 2 Chopped finely

Tomato – 2 Chopped

To Grind

Fried Gram Dal/Pottu kadalai – 1 Tbsp

Almonds – 4-5

Cashew Nuts – 4-5

Ginger – 1 Tsp

Garlic – 8 pods

Green chillies – 5 or adjust to your spiciness

Curry leaves – 12 leaves

Grated Coconut – ¼ Cup

Water – As Required

Coriander leaves – Few

METHOD

• Grind the ingredients given in the grind column with little water and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan adds cinnamon, cloves, cardamom then add fennel, mustard and urad dal wait it for splutter.
• Add onions sauté it till it turns translucent.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and sauté it till turns mushy.

• Now pour the ground masala paste to it and add extra water to the kurma add salt to taste.
• When the kurma starts boiling keep the flame low and cook it till the oil oozes out from the mixture switch off the flame.   

• Spread coriander leaves to the kurma and serve with hot pooris/Chapathi/Parotta.

NOTE

• If you love peanut flavour can add 2 Tsp of peanuts while grinding.
• Add mint leaves with onion to get extra aroma and taste.

 Very succulent kurma with poori!!! 

Enjoy it!!!

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MUTTON BIRYANI/DINDIGUL BIRYANI/OPEN POT METHOD

Hi dear friends, I never touched today’s recipe… Yes! It’s Non-Vegetarian recipe – Mutton Biryani/Dindigul biryani… Most of you well-known that Dindigul is popular for Biryani and am from here only… But I never tasted the biryani coz am pure vegetarian person but not my family… They never say ‘NO’ to NV... My mom prepared the mutton biryani and I clicked it... 

Ok! Sure, you may think, then why am posting non-veg recipe here?  The reason behind the post is my dad, he asked to post our native famous recipe here and some of my friends need the dindigul version of biryani…

Did you heard about Thalappa kattu Biryani or Venu Biryani? Its super-duper hit to all biryani lovers not only in dindigul, I think it’s popular in all over the world of Tamilians… Am I Right??? My cousins are 60kms away from my place, but they will come frequently to taste the biryani… Most of the people never forgot to taste the biryani while passing dindigul at any time or plan to eat here at particular time.

I heard many of my relatives or friends who were tasted the biryani in other places too, but they prefer dindigul biryani only… Even I used to prepare vegetable biryani in the same type only but I never use yogurt in my recipes coz I don’t like it yet the taste will be too good in my version.☺

The speciality of Dindigul Biryani

It is definitely the care taken in the choice of its high quality ingredients especially the spices used in the preparation of masala, the seeraga samba rice and fresh meat. Other main reason for the taste is the style which is dum biryani.

Category	Lunch-Rice Varieties-Biryani
Regional	Dindigul Version
Preparation Time	20 Minutes
Cooking Time	45-60 Minutes
Servings	4

INGREDIENTS

Seeraga Samba Rice – ½ kg or 2 Cup

Ghee – 100ml or adjust to your taste

Vegetable oil – 100ml or adjust to your taste

Coarsely Ground Shallots – ¾ Cup

Ginger garlic paste – 1/4 Cup (Ginger one part and garlic 3 part)

Green chillies - 5

Mint leaves – Two handfuls

Coriander leaves – Two handfuls

Mutton – ½ kg

*CCC powder – 4 Tsp or adjust with color

Red chilli powder – 2 Tsp

Coriander powder – 1 ½ Tsp

Salt – To Taste

Yogurt – 1 Tbsp

Lemon – ½ Lemons

Water or Coconut Milk – 4 Cup or according to your rice varieties

METHOD

• Wash and soak the rice for 10-15 minutes and drain off not more than that.
• Heat ghee and oil in a pan add coarsely ground shallot sauté it for 2 minutes.
• Next add fresh ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.
• Then add mint leaves and coriander leaves sauté it for 2 minutes, you will get good aroma here.
• Now add mutton pieces and sauté it once.
• Add CCC powder and sauté it well for 5 minutes.
• Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt sauté it and allow cooking till the mutton pieces are cooked and its look like in gravy consistency.

• Add water (we used rice washed water/Kalani Thaneer) and cover with lid till it boils well.
• Now add the soaked rice and stir it once and cover with the lid and when its start to boiling squeeze the lemon.
• Cover with the lid and place heavy vessel on the lid not to escape the vapor from it and cook it on low flame until the water drain off but make it sure not burn the rice.

• Serve it hot with onion raita and other non-veg dishes.

Mutton Biryaaaniiiii!!!

NOTE

• *CCC Powder – The powder is important to make dark color or brown color biryani. Its really too good in the appearance. But don’t use too much of it. Here I have given in big measurement as we stored it for long time.
• Ingredients
• Cinnamon – 50g
• Cloves – 5g
• Cardamom – 10g
• Method
• Sun dried the ingredients for half a day to one day.
• Blend the ingredients into fine powder in a dry blender.
• Store it in air-tight container and use dry spoon.
• It can be stored for 3-4 months (for us it ll be empty in 3-4 months) or according to your use.
• If you love more spice add one Marathi mokku and 2 bay leaves with it and blend it.
• Use coconut milk instead of water to get rich flavor.
• To get more rich taste take 25g of soaked cashew nuts blend it with water to extract cashew milk. Use the milk instead of water.
• Use younger meat to get good taste not the old one.
• Seeraga samba rice is best for the biryani, if its not available use basmati rice.
• The whole process in open pot method, but you can make it in pressure cooker too.
• To reduce your cooking time, cook the mutton in a pressure cooker before you start biryani.
• Don’t use onions, shallots are best and use freshly ground ginger garlic paste to enhance the flavour.
• With the same method you can make vegetable biryani.

Friends and reader if you like the biryani, try the method and let me know you feed backs... My mom is more eager to see your comments...