Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Snowball Cookies (Melting Moments) | Easy Christmas Cookies

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I should say these are the easiest cookies that I've ever baked. Yes believe me its
very easy and my 2.5 yr old helped me throughout the baking process. But should
admit this time she accompanied me so well making me think if I can accompany
her for my future bakes as well :) And thanks for all ur wishes, will update you next
week on how iti goes with her admissions.

When I saw Nags post these snowball cookies I was inspired to try as the main
reason was easy available ingredients and the method seemed to be fuss free. Then
happened to see the recipe in joyofbaking too so referred both and came up with
these lovely cookies.

Snowball

cookies

(Melting

Recipe

Reference

: Joy

Makes

around

35

Moments)
of

Recipe

Baking & CookingandMe

-

Ingredients:

Maida (All Purpose Flour) - 1 and 1/2 cups (210 gms)

Corn flour - 1/2 cup (65 gms)

40

cookies

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Powdered or icing sugar -1/4 cup (40 gms)

Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (200 gms)

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Chopped nuts - 2 to 3 tbsp (I used walnuts & cashewnuts)

For the topping:

Powdered or icing sugar - 1/2 cup (80 gms) (You may not end up using it
fully)
NOTE : I halved the above recipe and got 15 bite sized cookies.

Method:
1.In a bowl add butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence - beat well until creamy.
Now add the chopped nuts and give a quick stir.

2.In a separate bowl first whisk together maida, cornflour and salt.Then add maida,
cornflour mixture to butter sugar mixture. Mix well to form a dough - Dont knead it,
just bring them all together that is just enough. If its doesn't collect together add
few drops of milk to bring it together to a soft buttery dough. Wrap it and
refrigerate for 30-40mins or until it becomes firm.

3.Preheat oven to 177 deg C for 10mins. Line butter paper in the tray and keep it
ready. Pinch equal sized balls and roll them with your palms and place it in
prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 15mins(In
my oven it took 20mins) or until the base turns golden brown. The top doesnt
change color so be careful in checking the bottom.

4.Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-5 minutes. While
the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in icing sugar until fully coated. Allow it
to cool down then store it in airtight container, it stays well for about a week.

The main difference between melting moments and the mexican cookies - Both are
round balls coated with icing sugar, both are shortbread like cookie that rely on
butter as one of the main ingredients. But there are a few differences between
these

two

cookies:

one

is

that

Mexican

Wedding

Cakes(Cookies)

contain

chopped/ground nuts, and melting moments is that it replaces some of the flour
with corn flour so the cookies really "melt-in-your-mouth". But I added the nuts as I
like the crunch in my cookies :)

My Notes:

The orginal recipe says to arrange the baked cookies and sprinkle icing sugar.
But I prefered rolling them as I find it easy and spreading even. When you plan to
store it....If desired, just sprinkle the top of the cookies with icing sugar before
serving.

The cookies are slightly crunchy and melt in the mouth texture becos of the
cornflour addition.

The nuts give a very nice addition so dont skip it. And if you prefer you can
slightly flatten the cookies too.

These cookies are called by different names : snow ball or melting moments or
mexican wedding cakes(cookies). Whatever be the names, the taste is awesome

and am sure this recipe is going to be my keeper. Dont give excuses and bake these
cookies, and I am sure you will love them as much as me and my family did :)

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Onion Chutney - Vengaya Chutney Recipe (For Idli Dosa)

Onion Chutney and Garlic chutney are my fav and can live with it for days
together. This is another no tomato no coconut chutney and I love it with hot soft
idlis or with onion uthapam. Amma makes another version of onion chutney which
is more thokku kind,will post that too later.

Onion Chutney Recipe - Ingredients

Recipe Category: Side Dish Cooking Time: 20 mins Serves: 2 to 3

Small Onion(Shallots) - 1 cup

Red Chillies - 4
Big Onion - 1
Tamarind - 1 tsp
Salt - taste
Gingelly / Cooking Oil - 2 tsp
To temper:
Gingelly / Cooking Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 small sprig
Hing - 1/4 tsp(optional)

Method:
1. Peel of the skin from the onions, keep all you ingredients ready.In a kadai
heat oil and add the onion, fry till golden brown then add red chillies and

tamarind and fry for 3mins.

2. Cool down , add required salt and grind it to a fine paste. Heat oil in a kadai
- add the items listed under 'to temper' and transfer it to the chutney.

Serve with hot soft idlis / dosas!

My Notes
Adjust red chillies according to your spice level.
Use small onions for best results but if you are out of stock and planning to
make this chutney go ahead with 1 cup chopped big onion.

Use gingelly oil else replace with normal cooking oil.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Restaurant Style

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala doesn't need any introduction as it is famous all over the world. Chicken chunks
are marinated in yogurt and other indian spices for around 4 hrs or overnight.
Marinated chunks are either cooked in tandoor, oven or stove top. These cooked chunks are then added
in sauce/masala. Whenever we visit any restaurants, i order for chicken tikka masala and plain naan.
These two are my famous favorite combinations.
Everyone follows their own version of tikka masala. Vegetarians can replace chicken with paneer and
try this.

Ingredients :
15-18 Chicken Tikka Chunks

left over chicken tikka marination (or) 1/4 cup yogurt/curd

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup milk (or) coconut milk

1/4 cup fresh cream

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

2 tbsp tomato-chili sauce

salt to taste

2 cloves

1/4 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp cooking oil

Method :
Heat oil and butter in a kadhai or handi. Add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute a while. Keep
on low flame.
Add nutmeg powder, red chili powder and garam masala. Saute a while and add tomato puree.
Add left over marination, tomato-chili sauce and 1/2 cup water. Mix well and cook it covered for 25 mins on low flame.
Add milk and mix well. Cook for a min uncovered. Add chicken tikka chunks and salt to taste.
Mix well and cook it covered for 10 mins. Add kasoori methi and cook till the oil separates and
curry thickens. Serve hot with rice or any other indian bread variety.

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MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Shahi Paneer Babycorn Korma ~ Side dish for Rotis

Another weekend came and gone and we had a wonderful week at sil's place. I know I have loads of
recipes to share. However today being the weekend special, wanted to share this delicious Vegetarian dish
I made for dinner. It's really very rich and stands up to it's name being shahi and what not.

I decided if I am not able to make up for my multiple dishes for a weekend special cooking, it ought to be
atleast a rich and special dish and this combo surely makes it for both. I had the advantage of mixing
paneer and babycorn, both being Konda's favorite. Needless to say she loved the gravy so much.

You can easily make this not so rich, however I would say one should indulge once in a while.

Years back when I was thinking I must update my paper cutting recipe book with the recipes that I had
bookmarked elsewhere, I had complied a list of all my favorite paneer dishes and got them printed on the
one side sheets that were lying around. I had bound them to my third paper file, that made a mix of so
many other new paper cuttings as well. I felt so good that after almost over a decade I finally took out that
paper to tweak this dish. I had decided to try something from those files, during the last two weeks.
Somehow managed to make some. Anyway it felt great to have found another keeper recipe.

Shahi Paneer Babycorn Korma

Ingredients
For the gravy
Paneer - 2 cups
Babycorn - 1 cup
Bay leaf - 1 long
Garlic - 3 cloves
Onions, ground to paste - 2 medium
Cream - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Butter - 1 tsp

Grind to paste
Tomatoes - 3 medium
Green chilies - 2 long
Garam masala pwd - 1 tsp
Almond - 5 -6 nos
Cashewnuts - 7 -8 nos
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Curds - 1 cup
How to make the Korma
For the ground paste:
Take all the ingredients in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste using water. You can soak the almonds
and cashews in hot water to make them soft while grinding. Keep it aside.
Heat a non stick pan, add the finely chopped garlic, bay leaf. Add onion paste after couple of mints. Saute
till the onion paste turns colour and is well cooked.
Next add the ground masala paste and continue cooking till the oil leaves the sides.
Meanwhile in another pan, heat butter and fry chopped babycorns, followed by paneer cubes. First add
the baby corn to the pan, so that it gets cooked.
Add water as required and bring to boil. Finally add the fried paneer cubes and cream.
Simmer for 5 mins and switch off.
Serve with rotis.

Notes:
With the milk overflow that's been happening the past couple of weeks, I had to finally freeze some of the
paneer. So I soaked it in hot water before using it for this korma. Though I know soaking in hot water
makes the paneer very soft, I was surprised that even frozen paneer can get back its softness so well.
If you like the baby corn as such you can skip the frying part. But then the stuff I was using stood the test
of time in its lifetime being refrigerated. Hence that sauteing in butter.
We had a wonderful meal with rotis, makes a great meal for a lazy weekend cooking. Check out
what Vaishali and Champa have made for their weekend.