Wheat flour Shortbread Cookies

Shortbreads are melt in the mouth kind of cookies. Scottish in origin, this rich, tender and crumbly biscuit (cookie) was once only served during Christmas and New Year's Eve. In its most basic form, shortbreads are made with just four ingredients, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour. While today they are made in various shapes and sizes, at one time the dough was baked in a round mold and then cut into wedges that were given the name "petticoat tails". This name refers to the shape of the shortbread wedges which was similar to the bell-hoop petticoats worn by court ladies in the 12th century.

Shortbread dough is so versatile. Once you have made the basic shortbread batter, you can add about 1/2 cup (90 grams) of chocolate chips to make chocolate chip shortbread, or add 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder for a coffee favor. All it takes to have a cinnamon flavored shortbread is to add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or 1 tablespoon of finely chopped orange or lemon zest will give you a nice citrus flavored shortbread.

 Here we shall make a cardamom flavored shortbread by adding cardamom powder to the dough.

 Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar, ½ cup softened butter, ½ cup cooking oil, 1 ½ cup white flour, 1 cup wheat flour,  3 tsp cardamom powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 5 almonds roasted and powdered.
Ingredients for glaze:
3 tbsp brown sugar,  1 tsp milk, 1 tsp water, ¼ tsp vanilla
Method:
Heat oven to 350 degree F(200 degree C).
Grease two 9” pie pans.  In a big bowl, cream together sugar, butter and cooking oil. 
In another plate sift both the flours.  Blend flours, cardamom powder, vanilla and almond powder into creamed mixture.  This will make dough crumbly.  Divide dough in half and press in the bottom of the prepared pie pans.   Perforate with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until  light golden brown.  Cut each shortbread into wedges while they are still warm. Cool for ten minutes.
Glazing
In a small bowl combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over baked wedges.
Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

Sesame bread sticks

Ever since I have been living in India, I often miss the taste of sesame sticks sold at Trader’s Joe in Chicago.  Other day I decided to try my hand on these bread sticks so I could have something to accompany my salad and go down the memory lane as well. They turned out to be pretty close but they were no match to Trader Joe sesame sticks.  Anyway, here is my recipe of sesame sticks.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour(maida), ½  cup wheat flour, 4 tbsp cooking oil or melted butter, 1 tsp sugar, 1 ½  tsp salt or salt to taste, ¼ cup sesame seeds, ½ tsp baking powder,  ½ cup water.
 
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degree F(200 degree C).
In a big bowl add flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, sesame seeds and cooking oil.
Now make like bread crumbs consistency of the mixture.  Add water little by little to make a stiff dough. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into five-six portions.  Make a ball of one portion and roll it into a thick chapati with the rolling pin.  Using a knife, cut into small strips.  Put strips on a greased cooking sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.  Turn them over and bake from other side for another 10 minutes.  Cool them for 15-20 minutes before eating or serving.  They are ideal to go with soup or salad.

Jackfruit (kathal) curry

Jackfruit is the spiky green “exotic fruit” growing in the tropical climates.  Although it is called fruit it is generally cooked like a vegetable.   The ripe jackfruit is eaten like a fruit and raw ones can be cooked as vegetable curry, chips and pickle.  This spiky vegetable has lot of nutrients which are essential for us.  Jackfruit has vitamin C in plenty which helps colds and infections.  It is rich in nutrients like magnesium and copper which prevents bone loss and keeps thyroid health.  One cup of jackfruit contains half of the potassium found in bananas and potassium helps in lowering the blood pressure.  Jackfruit is rich in Vitamin A and just like carrots is good for our eyes.  Eating this exotic fruit can help add the iron supply in the body to prevent the anemia.

This jackfruit curry is very exotically delicious and it makes a very good vegetarian  or vegan dish.  Once jackfruit is peeled and cut, it is very similar to chicken in consistency and is often referred as “vegetable meat” in some parts of  Asia.

Ingredients:
2 cups of peeled and chopped jackfruit (raw), ¾ cup of cooking rice soaked in ½ cup of water overnight, 1 big onion finely chopped, 1 tsp ginger minced, 1 tsp minced garlic, 2 green chilies chopped finely, 3 medium tomatoes chopped and pureed, ¼ tsp cumin seeds, 2 bay leaves, ¼ tsp whole black pepper, 3 or 4 cloves, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of garam massala or curry powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, ¼ tsp of red pepper or paprika (optional), salt to taste, oil for frying and cooking the curry, 1 cup of water.

Method:
Boil the cut pieces of jackfruit if they are fresh.  If you have chosen the frozen or canned jackfruit, there is no need to boil it.  Once boiled drain all the water. Make sure jackfruit does not turn too soft.
In the meanwhile, grind the soaked rice into a paste.  Add ¼ tsp of salt, coriander powder and curry powder to make this into a  batter.   Now dip every piece of drained jackfruit into this batter and deep fry till light brown in color.
Take a pan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil.  Add black pepper, cloves and bay leaves. After 10 seconds, add cumin seeds.  When they stop spluttering, add ginger, onion and garlic in that order.
When onion turn golden brown, add turmeric and salt to taste.  Keep in mind that fried pieces of jackfruit also have light salt in it.
Add pureed tomato and coriander powder to it and cook the curry till a boil.  Now add red pepper and a cup of water.  After 15 seconds add the fried jackfruit pieces to the curry.  Let it simmer for  10 minutes.  Sprinkle the garam massala or curry powder and cover it till ready to serve.
Enjoy with any Indian bread or rice.

Fenugreek a miracle spice

Fenugreek (methi in Hindi) has played a major role in herbal healing since ancient times.  In India fenugreek is used both in the form of leaves as a vegetable casserole and as a spice in the form of seeds. Kasoori Methi is sold as dry leaves that are used for flavoring. 

In earlier Greece, fenugreek plant leaves were mixed with animal forage to cure the sick horses and cattle. As fenugreek spread around the Mediterranean, ancient physicians learned that fenugreek seeds contained great deal of mucilage.  When mixed with water, mucilage becomes gelatinous thus soothing inflamed and irritated tissues.  Hippocrates and many ancient Greek and Roman physicians recommended the herb to treat fevers and respiratory and intestinal complaints.

Ancient Chinese healers also used fenugreek to treat fevers, hernia, gallbladder problems, muscle aches and impotence.

In India fenugreek is part of curry spice blend.  Ayurvedic physicians used fenugreek for treating arthritis, bronchitis and digestive upsets.  Concoction made of fenugreek seeds and water helps women in menstrual cramps.  One study showed Indian lactating mothers ate these seeds to increase milk production.

Arab women ate the roasted seeds to gain weight and attain beautiful skin.

Some of fenugreek’s traditional uses have been supported by modern science. Studies show that fenugreek reduces cholesterol.  For that, one can take two ounces of fenugreek seeds with warm water every morning before brushing teeth and in 24 weeks it will start showing the result.

It is believed that fenugreek helps in Type-2 diabetes.  Take fenugreek seeds twice a day every day and it will lower the blood sugar level.

Fenugreek seeds have dietary fibre.  Take a teaspoon of seeds with warm water before sleeping and it will help in case of constipation and some other stomach problems.

Fenugreek seeds are swallowed raw early in the morning with warm water to have healing effect on joint pains.

Fenugreek’s soothing mucilage may help relieve sore throat and cough.  For that boil a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a cup of water and gargle for throat ailments.

Fenugreek belongs to the Fabaceae family and other members of this family are lima beans.  Its botanical name is Trigonella foenum-graecum.  Seeds and leaves of the plant are used as healing herb.

BISCOTTI of wheat flour

Biscotti is a plural of biscotto.  The word originates from Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked/baked." It defined oven baked goods that were baked twice, so they were very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. Such nonperishable food was particularly useful during journeys and wars.
Biscotti can be made with any dry fruits and nuts of your choice.  Here it is made with white chocolate, cherries, cashews and walnuts.

Ingredients:


1 ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup white flour, 2 cups wheat flour, pinch of salt, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup chopped cashews and walnuts, 1 cup dry cherries,  1cup white baking chocolate cut into small pieces, 1 tbsp cooking oil.

Method:


Preheat oven to 350degree F (200 degree C).  Beat eggs and sugar till well blended.  Add flours, salt, baking powder and vanilla and make the dough.  Add nuts, fruit and chocolate chunks to the dough.  Make a log of 3 inches by 9 inches but half an inch thick.  Place on baking sheet and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes.  Take it out.  Slice it and bake other side for about 20 minutes.  Cool and serve.  Dip it in a glass of milk or a cup of hot coffee to relish it.

Black Pepper for good digestion

Dried ground pepper has been used since ages as a spice and as a healing herb.  It is world’s most common spice, often found along with salt on dinning tables.  The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical called piperine.

Black pepper is native to India and extensively cultivated in tropical regions.  The fruit of the pepper is known as peppercorn when dried.  Peppercorns are often categorized under a label describing their region or port of origin.  There are black, white, green and orange varieties of peppercorn in the world but the most popular is black peppercorn.

 

Black pepper has been used in India since the prehistoric times.  After the middle ages, black pepper found its way to Europe, Middle East and North Africa from India’s Malabar region.  By the 16th century, due to the Portuguese influence, pepper was also being grown in Java, Sumatra, Madagascar, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Pepper became known in Greece as early as the 4^th century but it was an expensive spice which only rich could afford.  Pepper was used to both honor the Gods and to pay taxes or ransom.  During the fall of ancient Rome, the invaders were honored by being given black pepper.

Black pepper was believed to cure illness such as constipation, diarrhea, earache, gangrene, heart disease, hernia, hoarseness, indigestion, insect bites, insomnia, joint pain, liver problem, lung disease and toothaches.  There is no current medical evidence that black pepper cured all these ailments.  But in traditional Indian medicine, black pepper powdered or its decoction is used as a home remedy for relief from soar throat, congestion and cough etc.

Piperine present in black pepper acts as a thermogenic compound.  Piperine enhances the thermogenesis of lipid and accelerates energy metabolism in the body and also increases the serotonin and beta-endorphin production in the brain.  Black pepper is an excellent source of manganese, iron, vitamin K and dietary fiber.

Black pepper increases hydrochloride acid secretion in the stomach, hence, improving digestion.  Hydrochloride acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other foods in the stomach.  When the body’s production of hydrochloride acid is insufficient, food may sit in the stomach for extended period of time, leading to heartburn, acidity or indigestion.

Black pepper belongs to Piperaceae family and the other member almost close to this family is Indian long pepper or Java pepper.  Its botanical name is Piper Nigrum. 

Rasberry Coffee Cake

Rasberry or Rasbhari as it is called in India is a different variety of berry family.  It is yellow orange in color and is very tart for taste buds. It has lots of health benefits.  They are anti oxidants. They are rich in compounds such as magnesium, iron, copper and manganese that increase red blood cells in the body and decrease anemia.  They have low level of sodium and high levels of potassium, known to lower blood pressure.  This fruit is rich in dietary fiber and low in calories and saturated fat.
Since I could not eat too much of this tart fruit, I decided to make a coffee cake of those berries.

.Ingredients:
White flour 1 ¼ cups, wheat flour 1 cup, sugar ½ cup, brown sugar 1 ¼ cups, baking powder 2 tsp, baking soda ½ tsp, a pinch of salt, ¾ cup cooking oil, 3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 2 cups chopped raspberries, 1 cup chopped cashews and walnuts.
Method:
Combine both the flours, both kinds of sugars, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt in a bowl.  In a different bowl beat eggs, cooking oil and vanilla essence till  creamy.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in fruits and nuts and make sure everything is well blended.  Bake in 180 degrees C (325 F) for 45- 50 minutes.  If you like you can drizzle it with sugar glaze.