Oats Coconut Honey Slice

Last week was celebration time at home – what with friends meet, birthdays and anniversary etc; I had my hands full. In celebration, I wanted to bake something in the shortest possible time. But at the same time, it had to be tasty, quick and easy to make and ofcourse healthy too. A tall order! So I dug into my recipe collection and picked out this recipe as I had all the ingredients and noticed that it did not involve much paraphernalia. I had not tried this before, so I was not sure of its outcome. One will never know unless one tries!

However, I was quite pleased with the end result – appearance wise and taste wise. It made my day especially when the family members loved it too.

Ingredients:

Oats	1 cup
Plain flour (maida)-sifted	1 cup
Grated coconut	¾ cup
Sugar	¾ cup
Butter	125gms
Honey	2tbsps
Bicarbonate of soda	½ tsp
Water	2tbsps

Method:

1. Grease a baking tray/pan measuring roughly 20cms x 25 cms
2. Combine oats, sifted flour, grated coconut, and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Combine butter, honey and water in a saucepan, stir over heat (on a low flame) until butter is melted.
4. Add soda. At this juncture, the whole mass will froth and rise. Switch off the gas and immediately pour the contents into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
5. Press the mixture evenly into the greased pan.
6. Bake in moderate oven (175-180 degrees C) for about 25 mins.
7. Cool in pan before cutting.
8. Store in an air-tight container.

Ingredients

Combine Oats, grated coconut, sifted flour and sugar

In a saucepan, butter, honey and water are combined and is being heated

 

Butter starting to melt

Butter mixture combined with the dry ingredients

Mixture pressed evenly into the baking tray

Just removed from the oven after 25 mins.

Cut into slices when slightly cooled.

Oats Coconut Honey Slices ready to be served

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time : 25 mins

Makes: 18 slices

Note:

• I used Eno (1 tsp) instead of bicarbonate of soda.
• I felt that sugar can be reduced slightly since honey is also added to it.
• Will keep for a few days without refrigeration.
• It is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Charmure Upkari (Spicy Puffed Rice)

I actually never thought that I would be writing about this simple, spicy and tasty, “no fuss”, no cooking and a typical “Amchi” snack – Charmure Upkari.   “Charmure” is the Konkani word for puffed rice and “Upkari” means a dry curry.

Hello friends, I got back (about ten days ago) after attending our annual “Teru” or Ratha-Utsav festival in Katapady, a small village in Udupi district. During the last day of the festival, a fair is generally held in the temple premises wherein various stalls are put up. Here, one gets to taste some authentic Konkani cuisine – Golli Bajje, Biscut Aambado, Charmure Upkari etc…. To tell you frankly, the taste of one such item that still lingers in my mouth is the humble “Charmure Upkari”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am tasting this after a long time. So, here it is!

 

 

Ingredients

Ingredients

Charmuro / Puffed rice	2 cups
Coconut gratings	3-4 tbsps
Coconut oil	3-4 tsps
Chilly powder	½ tsp
Sambhar powder	1 tsp
Onions (chopped)	1 medium
Lemon juice  (optional)	1 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves	1 tbsp
Grated carrot (optional)	1-2 tbsp
Salt	As per taste

Method :

1. In a large bowl, place the coconut gratings, chilly powder, sambhar powder, coconut oil, chopped onions, grated carrot, lime juice, salt  and Charmuro/Puffed rice.  Mix them well.
2. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
3. Serve immediately.

Prepartion time :  15-20 mins

Serves : 2

Note:

• Charmuro/Puffed rice should be fresh and crisp. If it’s not crisp, roast it in a pan for a few minutes – it will turn crispy.
• This is an evening snack.
• You can use any oil of your choice. But coconut oil gives it that authentic “Amchi” taste.
• Use of chilly powder and Sambhar powder can be adjusted according to one’s taste.