CHOCO CHIP COOKIES

Choco-chip cookies are a good tea time snack and are loved by the entire family, specially the kids. My little 2 year old just loves having them with a cup of milk.  The cookies make a healthy snack for growing up children.

Chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate. They are often sold in a round, flat-bottomed tear-drop shape.  

These are available in many sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually around 1 cm in diameter. Choco- chips can be found in any big retail store and  can be used in cookies, pancakes, waffles, cakes, pudding, muffins, crêpes, pies, hot chocolate, and various types of pastry.

To prepare Choco-chip Cookies:

(Makes 25 -30 cookies)

 Ingredients:

• 140 gms maida flour
• 100 gms butter
• 150 gms powdered sugar
• 1 egg or 50 ml milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of baking powder
• 10 gms caramel
• 75 gms Choco chips 
• 2.5 ml vanilla essence

Method:

• Sieve flour, baking powder and salt.
• Beat the butter till light using a cake beater
• Add sugar  and beat the mixture until creamy
• Add the egg and then the essence.
• Add the caramel and mix
• Add choco chips to maida mixture. Mix with creamed mixture.
• Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Put a spoonful of the mixture on an ungreased baking tray to make cookies. The cookies take their own shape when baking.  

Bake at 140 – 160 degrees C temperature for 20 minutes. 

Check before removing, allow it to cool.

Choco- chip cookies are ready to be served for the tea time.


Tip: Caramel is made by browning 2 tsps of sugar in a non- stick pan, then add about a tbsp of water and boil till it reduces to caramel consistency.

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MANGO CURRY - KAAT AMBYACHE NISTHE

Ripe mango curry is one of the favourites of the entire household.  Year after year when summer sets in, this is one of the many summer food delicacies that we prepare. 

During my childhood, we had few wild (kaat) mango trees  and as soon as the day sets in, a visit to these trees in order to pick the fallen ripe mangoes was a habit during the summer holidays. 

A delicious curry was being prepared from these mangoes by my Mother.  The mango  curry blended well with the boiled rice and I usually ended up over-eating.  

TO PREPARE MANGO CURRY:

• 1 Kg country/kaat  ripe mangoes 
• (any other variety of mangoes can also be used)
• 1 ½ tbspn jaggery powdered
• ½ tspn salt

Grind together:

• ¾ cup grated coconut
• 3 dried red chillies, tawa roasted in ½ tspn of oil
• 1 tspn mustard seeds 

For Seasoning:

• 1 tspn mustard
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbspn cooking oil

Method:

• Wash the mangoes and peel off the skin. 
• The peel must be squeezed  to extract the mango pulp in it. 
• Ultimately discard the peel and put the skinned mangoes to this pulp.
• Boil the ground paste with a cup of water and allow it to slightly thicken.
•  Add the salt and dissolve the jaggery powder in it.

• When the gravy is thickened, add the peeled mangoes with the water.
• Allow it to simmer on low fire for five minutes.
• Add the seasoning of spluttered mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil 

Serve the curry with boiled rice for scrumptious lunch. 

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MUSSELS / CLAMS MEAT CUTLETS

Mussels or clams are shellfish found both in salt and sweet water.   The meat is soft and  delicious.  The mussels must be cleaned thoroughly and the whole shells are boiled until they open.  The meat is then separated from the shells.

The meat of the clams can be cooked in different ways.  I have used the meat to make cutlets using potatoes and other usual ingredients.   

TO PREPARE MUSSEL CUTLETS:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked meat from the clams, minced fine.
• 2 big potatoes boiled and mashed
• 2 big onions minced
• 3 green chillies
• 1 ½” ginger piece
• A bunch of coriander leaves
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tspn salt to taste
• Oil for frying           

Method: 

• Mx the minced clams meat, onions, green chillies, ginger and salt, keep the mixture on fire to soften the mixture.
• Cool the mixture and add the eggs and mix well.
• Mix the potatoes and minced coriander leaves.
• Add required quantity of bread crumbs to form small balls of the mixture.
• Flatten the balls using bread crumbs and a knife.

Shallow fry with little oil until crunchy.

Ready to be served as a snack or side dish.

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BANGUDE AMSHE THIKSHE - MACKERELS SOUR N SPICY

Bangudes or Mackerels can be cooked in quite a few ways.  Mackerels curried, fried or steamed enhance the taste of the mackerels. Mackerel pickles are appetizing too. 

My late Aunt Helen (Yellu Maushi from Kalladka) used to prepare this dish in the good old days, whenever we used to come home on holidays.  She had a unique way of preparing this dish by putting flames on both bottom and on top of the pan.

TO PREPARE:

  

6 medium sized mackerels, cleaned and with slits on the fish.

Ingredients for the masala:

5  Kumti  (long) chillies

6  Kashmiri chillies      

1 tspn. Cummin seeds  

1 tspn. Pepper  corns     

2 tspns. Coriander seeds

1 ½ tspns tamarind paste

¾ tspn.  Turmeric powder

1” pc ginger

7 garlic flakes

Grind  the above to a fine thick paste  using required quantity of water.

Slice    2 medium size onions

            2 green chillies

            2 sprigs of curry leaves

1 tspn vinegar

1 tspn  salt (more if needed)

Method:

Mix the ground masala and the minced onion, green chillies, curry leaves with vinegar and salt. 

 

Heat a greased  thick bottom non-stick pan or a vessel and transfer the mixture to it.

Keep on low fire for 15 minutes  or until the gravy gets thickened and the onion/chillies get cooked.

Lay the whole slit mackerels on the mixture.  Spread the masala into the slits and the stomach part.

Leave on low fire for another 15 minutes covered with a lid.

The delicious Bangude (mackerel)  amshi thikshi side dish is ready.

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APPLE N CINNAMON CAKE

Cinnamon spice is obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum which is used in both sweet and savoury foods. Cinnamon also has healing potential when mixed  with honey can reduce cholesterol and also phlegm.  

Though apple and Cinnamon belong to  different  categories of edible items, combination of both give a delightful  taste.   The Apple and Cinnamon when combined with other basic ingredients turned out to be a lip-smacking aromatic cake, from which no one can stay away from it.

TO PREPARE:

Ingredients:

Butter (Unsalted)               200 gms

Powdered Sugar                 200 gms

Eggs                                   4

Flour                                  200 gms

Baking powder                  1 tsp

Apples                               2

Cinnamon powder             1 tsp

Salt                                     ¼ tsp

Vanilla essence                  ½ tsp

Method:

• Sieve the flour,salt and baking powder together and keep aside.

• Peel and chop the apples into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix the cinnamon powder with the apple pieces and 2 tsps of the maida  and combine. Keep aside.

•  Beat the Butter and powdered sugar till smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and beat well after each egg. Add vanilla essence and mix.

• Now add the flour and mix well in the egg batter using a spoon.   Finally, add the apple mixture and combine well.

• Line a 9 inch cake tin with butter paper and pour the batter and level it.

• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 50minutes @ 180 degrees C.

•  Check if the cake is done by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake.

Lip smacking Apple n Cinnamon cake is ready to be served with a hot cup of coffee.

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Cakes

WHEAT DOSAS

It is a boone to join different groups on Face Book. One gets to know a number of people across the globe, which in turn helps to share different life experiences and ideas. Irrespective of having countless food blogs on the net, when a recipe and taste is shared by a person acquainted to you, it is far more interesting.

When Mr. Aravind Mallya displayed his breakfast brunch spread on “Moody Konkani Mast Mast Mangalore” wall, I invariably was curious to know the ingredients in the Dosa and requested him to provide me with the recipe. Mr Mallya unhesitatingly shared the recipe on MKMMM wall and needless to say that I straight away planned to prepare the Dosas for the breakfast next day.

This breakfast item is not only tasty and healthier but also quite easier to prepare without much hassles. I have tried wheat dosas adding urad dhal earlier. But this one with coconut is really soft and yummy without a need to ferment overnight.

Ingredients :

• Whole wheat grain : 1 cup
• Grated coconut : 1 cup
• Green chilly : 1 (or more according to the taste)
• Ginger : 1” piece
• Oil or Ghee : for frying as required
• Water : as required
• Salt : ½ tspn

Method:

• Wash and soak the whole wheat grain overnight.
• Next day strain the water completely.
• Grind whole wheat grain, grated coconut with green chilly and ginger with water as required.
• The batter must be smooth and of medium consistency.

• Pour a serving spoonful of batter and spread it equally on the pan.

Keep it covered on medium flames.

When fried, turn to the other side and fry for a minute.

Soft wheat dosas are ready to be served with chutney and steaming coffee.

For crunchy dosas retain the dosa on the pan

for bit longer duration

For sweeter version of Wheat Dosas add ½ a cup of jaggery when grinding instead of green chilly and ginger.

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