Coconut-Milk Cookies

At the onset, let me wish you all a Happy Ugadi / Gudi Padva

I am pleased to inform you all that recently I attended yet another cookery demonstration conducted by Nestle promoting their “Maggie” products. In all, four different items were prepared namely : Oats noodles, noodle cutlets, cookies, and noodle bhel-puri. All the items that were made were delicious and lip-smacking. We all were given to taste a small portion of each of the dishes that were prepared. With Ugadi round the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare these delicious cookies and share this easy recipe with you all. It requires no eggs, no raising agent, no milk, no vanilla essence and no cardamom powder and yet tastes wonderful ! Sounds incredible ? Try it and see it for yourself.

I must admit here that I used the electric beater to beat the butter and sugar (it appears the excess beating was unnecessary ) with the result the cookies spread out a little horizontally which should not have happened. In any case the texture and the taste has not altered. It turned out nice and crispy. I intend to try this out again by rectifying this mistake and also by incorporating ragi flour and some dry fruits to make it more nutritious.

Ingredients:

Maida (refined flour)	150 gms
Powdered Sugar	100 gms
Butter (salted)	150 gms
Coconut-Milk powder	100 gms

Method :

1. Grease a baking tray and keep aside. Pre-heat the oven at 180° C.
2. Beat lightly butter and sugar so that no lumps are formed.
3. In the same bowl, add coconut-milk powder and maida and mix well to form a soft dough.
4. Form small balls from this dough and lightly press on the top with a fork and place them on the greased baking tray.
5. Place the baking tray in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or till done.
6. Allow it to cool and store them in an air-tight container.

Ingredients

Butter and sugar beaten lightly 

Dough ready

All set to bake

Baking under process

Just out of the oven

Coconut milk cookies ready to be devoured

                           
Preparation time : 10 mins

Baking time : 20 mins

Makes : approx 20 cookies (depending upon the size)

Note:

• Since, I used unsalted butter, I added a pinch of salt to it.
• Beat butter and sugar lightly so that they are mixed well without any lumps.

Rice Chakuli

Rice Chakuli as the name suggests, is a savoury made out of rice. "Chakuli" is the term used in Konkani language. The Tamilians call it "Murukku" and in the North it is known as "Chakli". This item too  can be prepared with different types of flour combination and each one has a taste of its own. The rice Chakuli however is considered to be the traditional one at least where GSB (konkani) community is concerned.

I do admit, that this Rice Chakuli is slightly more laborious than the ones prepared out of Jawar or any other flour. I have not prepared this since quite sometime. However this Diwali I felt it was worth going through all the trouble once in a way for its wonderful taste!

A Chakuli Mould is necessary to make this savoury.

Rice Chakulis

Chakuli mould

Ingredients : 

Raw Rice	2 cups
Udad Dal (Black gram Dal)	1 cup
Jeera	2 tsps
Butter	1 heaped tbsp
Salt	To taste
Water	About ½ cup
Oil for deep frying

Method :

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 3 hours.
2. Roast Udad Dal (Black gram dal) in a pan on a low flame till golden brown. Takes about 15 - 20 mins.
3. When cooled, powder it and sift it. Separate the coarse powder from the fine one.
4. After three hours of soaking time, grind the soaked rice along with the coarse udad dal powder with enough water and salt. Remove it in a bowl.
5. Now add jeera (cummin), butter and the fine powdered udad dal to the ground mixture. Mix well into a soft dough. If necesary, add a little water. Keep this covered for an hour before making the Chakulis.
6. After an hour, take enough quantitiy of the dough to fill the Chakuli mould.
7. Make at least six chakulis at a time on a sheet of butter paper. 
8. In the meantime, heat oil in a wok/kadai and when the oil is hot enough gently slide the six chakulis one after another in the hot oil and fry till golden brown.
9. Continue in this manner till all the dough has been utilised.
10. Store in an air-tight container when cooled.

Frying time    :  11/2 hours
Makes           :  58 chakulis



Note:

• The quantity of the Chakulis may vary depending upon the size.
• Keeps for almost a month when stored in an air-tight container.

Pepper Tukdi

"Tukdi" is the konkani word for diamond-shaped savoury. It is prepared in different varieties; such as sweet- tukdi, biscuit-tukdi (shankarpali) and each one is equally tasty. My daughter and my husband prefer "Pepper Tukdi" to other varities and hence I always end up preparing this during Diwali.

It is also prepared with wheat flour and semollina (fine sooji) thereby omitting Maida (all purpose flour) all together. The variety is endless.

Pepper-Tukdi

Tukdi-Cuter

Ingredients:

Maida (all purpose flour)	11/2 cup
Wheat flour	11/2 cup
Freshly ground pepper	2 tbsps
Salt	1 tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Water	About 1 cup
Oil for deep frying

Preparation time : 30 mins
Frying time         : 1 hour



Method:

1. Mix the maida, wheat flour, pepper, salt and oil (1tbsp) in a bowl.
2. Add water to it, a little at a time to form a soft dough.
3. Divide this dough into 20 balls.
4. In the meantime, heat a kadai/wok with oil on a moderate flame.
5. Roll out one ball at a time into chapati of 1/8 inch thickness.
6. Cut each chappati  with the "Tukdi cutter" diagonally so as to get the shape of a diamond.
7. Separate the pieces and deep fry in oil till crisp and golden brown.
8. Continue in this manner for all the 20 balls.
9. Store in an air-tight container.

Note:

• The quantity of pepper can be increased if you need it more spicy.
• If you do not have a "Tukdi-cutter" you can cut it with a knife.
• Keeps for a month when stored in an air-tight container.
• Do not roll out all the dough at one time as the tukdi will not puff-up while frying.

Phagila Phodi (Wild Gourd Fries)

Phagil - Konkani word for Wild gourd and “Phodi” means “fried slice”. Phagil is a seasonal vegetable, green in colour and is oval or round in shape. As the name (wild gourd) suggests, it grows wildly in forests during the monsoon. "Amchis" (konkani speaking people) will go to great lengths to lay their hands on this vegetable no matter what the cost!! And after eating the phodis, he or she only will end up singing - “ Yeh Dil Mange More”!!

Most of our festivals start in the month of “Shraavan” and continue till the end of the year. So, this item is generally found in most of the menus during the festive season when this vegetable is available in plenty.

Besides, being tasty and crispy, it is very easy to prepare and cooks very fast too. It can also be deep fried but to avoid the excess oil and moreover, everybody nowadays being quite health conscious, shallow frying is a better option. The usage of chilly powder can be varied according to one’s taste.

Ingredients:

Phagil (wild gourd)	3
Salt	As per taste
Rice powder	3 tbsps
Red chilly powder	2tsps
Asafoetida	A pinch
oil	For shallow frying

Method:

1. Wash the phagils (wild gourds) and pat dry them. Snip off the ends. Slice each phagil into 4-5 slices lengthwise. Sprinkle salt, red chilly powder and asafetida over these slices on both sides evenly and keep aside for about 15mins.
2. Heat a pan and smear oil on it.
3. Place the rice powder in a plate. Roll each phagil slice in the rice powder one by one and place it on the heated (medium flame) pan.
4. Pour some oil on the sides and fry the slices on both sides till golden brown.
5. Serve hot.

Makes about 12-15 phodis

Serves: 2

Note:

• This is eaten as a side dish. It can also be eaten as a snack with or without sauce or chutney.
• "Phodis" can also be prepared out of other vegetables like bitter gourd, large brinjal, yam, breadfruit, simebadanekayi (chow-chow) etc.