Thursday, December 27, 2007

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread cookies


I got this recipe online, and they turned out simply amazing!! You have to try them out if you love gingerbread cookies. Ginger and chocolate go great together! And the cookie is soo soft and chewy! YUM!! :)

Ingredients:
7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Method:

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Oondhiyu


So finally, after seeing my mom make oondhiyu every single year, I FINALLY made it myself, when I went to Bombay this November, and I was really impressed by myself;) simply coz I could actually make it, and well it turned out awesome!!! I made 2 vessels worth of oondhiyu, and it all got over in a DAY!!! NO LEFT OVERS!:)

This is my mom, and Kumud aunty's(my fav aunt) recipe.

The measurements mentioned below make 2 whole pots worth of oondhiyu. This preparation does not even require that much oil, and it is amazingly tasty! Here it is... ENJOY!



Ingredients:

500gms papdi seeds and the papdi
250gms thin papdi, whole
2 raw banana cut into small pieces with skin
500gm small brinjals slit
1kg purple yam, peeled and cut into small pieces
400gm sweet potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
100gm green garlic finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 bunches of cilantro, finely chopped
1 coconut freshly ground
4 green chillies finely chopped
4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
salt to taste
a pinch of asafoetida
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup finely chopped green garlic for garnish

Muthia:

3/4 cup wheat flour
1 tbsp gram flour(chana flour)
a pinch of asaefoetida
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons fenugreek leaves finely chopped
water enough to bind the dough
vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Masala preparation:
In a large bowl, put in the freshly ground coconut, same amount of cilantro finely chopped, sugar, chillies, green garlic, garlic and salt to taste. Mix it well in the bowl.

Muthia preparation:
In a large bowl, mix all the muthia ingredients together and form about an inch size long muthias, they should not be round, but more elongated.

In another large pan, heat the oil on medium heat, till ready for frying. Fry all the muthias. Leave them on the side.

Oondhiyu preparation:
In a large dish, start filling the green masala, prepared earlier, into the brinjals and the bananas. Once that is done, put in the yam and sweet potatoes and put the remaining masala in the dish. Leave about 1/2 cup for the papdis. Mix everything in the large dish, except the papdis, properly with your hand.

In another smaller dish, put both, the papdis and the seeds, and the remaining masala, and add the baking soda and about 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix it well with your hand. Now we are ready to cook.

In your largest pot:), on medium heat. Put in the oil and let it heat. Add in the papdi, and cover the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Then put in the brinjals, let it cook for 5 minutes. Then put in the yam, and bananas, and let it cook again for about 7 minutes. Finally put in the sweet potatoes and all the masala remaining in the dish and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Last but not the least, add in the muthias. Now let it cook slowly, stirring it from time to time for about 30-40 minutes on medium heat, until well cooked. Make sure that the pot is always covered! If needed, transfer into another pot, so that all vegetables can cook evenly. Garnish it with the remaining chopped green garlic.

The oondhiyu is ready to eat!!!:) ENJOY it with puris and shrikhand!! :)