Nankhatai / Eggless Indian Cookies

When I announced the event, Dish name starts with N, the first dish that came to my mind is Nankhatai and others being Nutella recipes... So today we will see the Nankhatai and in the coming posts, we will see some Nutella recipes...While browsing for the Nankhatai recipe, I came across recipes which was calling for different ingredients in each recipe... So I called to my North Indian friend, to check with the recipe and decided to go with it... Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

• All purpose flour/Maida - 2 cups
• Ravai/Sooji/Semoline - 2 tsp
• Cardamom crushed - 1 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Butter - 1 cup/1 stick (I used salted at room temperature)
• Sugar - 1.5 cups
• Pistachios - crushed

Method

• Preheat the oven to 150 deg Celcious.
• Add the Maida in a bowl.

• To this add the rawa, cardamom, baking soda.

• Mix/Sift them well.

• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

• Add the butter-sugar mix to the Mixed flour or vice versa.

• Mix well to form a dough.

• Take small portions of the dough and arrange it in the baking tray with gaps inbetween.
• Make small cuts in the top of the balls and just put some crushed pistachios and press gently.

• Repeat the process for all balls.

• Now keep in oven for 20 to 25 min in the middle rack.
• When they slightly start changing its colour, take out from oven and allow to cool for 5 min.

• Serve the Nankhatai is a bowl or plate.
• Can be preserved if kept in a airtight container. But mine got over by the same day.

Notes: Instead of salted butter, you can go for unsalted butter. Since I like little salty taste in biscuits, I went with salted butter. If the dough becomes dry, add little lukewarm milk and make a soft dough. The other recipes called in                   1). addition of 2 tsp of gram flour to the above recipe                                                              or                    2). 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour instead 2 cups of  APF.                                                              or                    3). 2 cups APF, baking soda and cardamom powder alone and no rawa. So you may try any of the version and let me know ur comments.

This goes to the following events
My event: Dish name starts with N
Bake fest by Vardhini and pumpkin form
Favorite recipe: Cookies by Swathi
Cookie Mela by Srivalli
Lets Party: Go bake it by Surabhi

Apple Halwa

Days are moving very fast and I am becoming busy day by day... As I told in my previous post, still not recovered fully from the fever n cough... coz of that, feeling very tired after coming from office... So could not prepare any new dish or post. Even this Apple halwa, I captured, couple of months before, and was in my folder along with some more pictures. So decided to post this. First time I prepared halwa with apple and to my surprise, it was really very tasty and yummy. This recipe, even can be done, by grinding the apple and using the pulp. Since I want some crunchiness, I grated and did it.

Ingredients

• Apple - 3
• Ghee - 4 tsp
• Sweetened Condensed milk - 5 to 6 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Almonds - 1/4 cup + 10
• Saffron - a pinch

Method

• Wash the apple and remove its skin.
• Grate the apple as below.

• In a flat bottomed pan, add the grated apple and saute till all the water content evaporates.

• Now add the condensed milk and mix well.
• Add the sugar and mix till the sugar gets dissolved.

• Add the ghee at this stage.
• Meanwhile grind the 1/2 cup almonds into a powder and crush the remaining 10 almond pieces to be used later.
• Mix it to this apple mixture.

• Check for the correct sweetness. (sugar or condensed milk can be added accordingly)
• Now mix the crushed almond pieces and saffron and mix well.
• When the ghee starts leaving the sides, switch off the stove and allow to cool and serve. 

Note: 

This apple halwa can be made by grinding the apple in mixer and using the pulp. I need to try some other time. Since I like the crunchiness of the apple, I grated and prepared the halwa. If any one have done with pulp, kindly share the outcome of it.