HOTCHULHA

My hubby loves Karachi Biscuits (from Pista house – Hyderabad) so much. But once I started looking at what is in them, I decided to make better tasting biscuits with me knowing the healthy ingredients are in for sure. That was the idea created resulted in a question – Who says healthy food is not tasty? In the quest to answer this question, my new posts will be the reflection of my journey to answer this question.

Enjoy the healthy coconut butter cookies. Try it and let me know how it turns out.

Pinch of Salt and Cardamom powder gives you extra kick to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – All-purpose flour (maida)(Organic)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1.5 cups shredded Coconut dry.
• 2 tablespoons vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup Organic brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter – I love grass fed – Kerry Gold Butter.
• 5 teaspoons milk(try Whole milk – Organic Valley)
• 1/8 teaspoon Cardamom powder.
• Salt – one pinch
• Few cashew halves

Method:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda and sift it.
2. Whisk the sugar and butter together.
3. Add the vanilla essence, milk and coconut to the mix.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.
5. Add Cardamom powder.
6. Knead the dough, cut it up into 4 round pieces and refrigerate
   for half an hour.
7. Take small parts of the dough, flatten them out and use the cookie cutter to get interesting designs and if you like stick one cashew half on one cookie and bake them for 18 to 20 minutes at 350^oF

Your Yummy Coconut Butter cookies are ready. You can have them as snack or with your hot tea.

Ingredients:

• Frozen Raspberries – 1 Cup – Thaw
• All purpose Flour – 1.5 Cup
• Sugar – 1 1/4 Cup
• Butter – 1 Stick – room temperature
• Eggs – 2
• Baking Soda – 1 Teaspoon
• Vanilla essence – 2 Teaspoons
• Orange Jest – 1 Teaspoon
• Salt – 1/2 Teaspoon

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl put the flour, salt and baking soda, mix it well with the fork and keep it aside.
3. In the mixer bowl put the butter and sugar and mix it till the sugar dissolves.
4. Add eggs one by one and mix it slowly.
5. Add the vanilla essence and orange jest and mix it gently.
6. Add the flour in 2 to 4 batches and mix it gently.
7. Add the raspberries and fold it gently with spatula.
8. Butter and Flour the baking pan and put the mix and bake it for 55 minutes.
9. Let it cool before you slice the cake.

Ingredients:

• White Bread Slices – 4
• Half & Half Milk – 1/2 Cup
• Sugar – 1/4 Cup
• Ghee – 2 Tablespoons
• Elachi – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Almonds & Pista – 10 Each
• Water – 1/4 Cup

Method:

1. Cut the brown edges around the bread off  and then cut it diagonally and keep it aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, put the water, elachi powder and sugar and bring it to a boil for 10 minutes and keep it aside.
3. In a food processor coarsly grind the pista and almonds and keep it aside.
4. Boil the half & half milk in low heat and keep the milk warm,
5. Take a skillet and put 1 tablespoon of ghee and lay the bread pieces and roast until they turn golden brown and flip to other side and put the remaining ghee and roast.
6. Take a plate and arrange the fried bread and gently pour the sugar syrup on the bread.
7. Let the syrup soak into the bread. Now pour the half & half milk slowly on the bread and garnish it with drynut mix.

Tip: Chill it in the Fridge before serving. This also can be served at room temperature.

Bajre Ka Khajoor

Ingredients:

• Bajra Flour  – 2.5 Cups
• Jaggery (Gud) – 1.5 Cups
• Shredded coconut – ¼ Cup.
• Poppy Seeds – 1 Tablespoon
• Cardamom (Elachi) powder – ½  Teaspoon
• Water – 1 Cup
• Oil to deep fry.
• Funnel Seeds – ½ Teaspoon(Crushed).

Method:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put gud and water, bring it to a boil.
2. After Gud is melted, put the coconut, poppy seeds, elachi powder and bajra flour with fennel seeds slowly and mix it quickly and put this in a plate to cool off.
3. Once the dough is cooled off, spread it on a parchment paper and spread it like pizza dough and cut this into squares or triangles pieces. See below for picture of cut Raw Khajoor.
4. Take the heavy bottom pan and put the oil and bring it to heat and gently drop the cut pieces and fry them on medium heat on both sides until they look golden brown color and put this on paper towels to that excessive oil can be absorbed.

Ingredients:

• Semiya(Vermicelli)  – 1/2 cup
• Raisins  – 1 tablespoon
• Cashews  – 1 tablespoon
• Ghee  – 1 tablespoon
• Sugar – 1/4 cup
• Ealachi  – 1/4 teaspoon
• Milk  – 2 1/2 cups

Method:

1. In a frying pan put ghee and fry the cashews and raisins,remove and keep them aside.
2. Now in the same pan put the semiya  and roast until golden brown and keep them aside.
3. In a sauce pan put the milk and sugar ,bring it to a boil add the roasted semiya and mix it gently.
4. Now add the fried cashews,raisins and ealachi powder and cook it until the  semiya is soft  and take it off the heat.

*You can serve this at room temparature or cold.

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash – 1 Medium
• Whole Milk – 1 Cup
• Sugar – 1 ½ Cup
• Milk Mava Powder– ½ Cup
• Cashews – ¼ Cup
• Raisins – 1/8 Cup
• Poppy Seeds – 1 Tablespoon
• Shredded fry coconut – 1/8 Cup
• Elachi – ¼ Cup
• Ghee – 2 Tablespoons

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven for 350 ⁰ degrees. Cut the Squash into ½ and put this on baking sheet(cut side down) and bake it for 25 minutes and let it cool outside.

1. With the fork, pull the squash gently. It will come off like spaghetti and put this in a bowl(approximately 3 cups)
2. In a heavy bottom pan put the spaghetti squash, milk and sugar and cook it for 15 minutes when it comes close.
3. Put the milk mava and let it cook on medium heat.
4. In a small pan dry roast the poppy seeds and coconut individually and keep them aside.
5. Now put 2 tablespoons of ghee and fry the cashews and raisins.
6. Put everything (coconut, poppy seeds, raisins, cashews and elachi), mix it gently, and take it off from the heat.

You can serve it hot or cold. Enjoy….

Wheat & Moongdal Payasam in Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

• Raw Wheat – ½ Cup
• Moongdal – ¼ Cup – Dry Roast
• Jaggery(Gud) – ½ Cup
• Ghee(Purified Butter) – 3 Tablespoon
• Coconut Milk – 1.5 Cup
• (To make one cup of coconut milk, take ½ cup of raw coconut and ¾ cup of water and grind it and then strain the coconut to get the Coconut Milk)
• Cashew nuts – 10
• Cardamom(Elachi) – ¼ Teaspoon
• Water – 2.5 Cups

Method:

1. In a small pan put 1 teaspoon of Ghee and fry the Cashews.
2. In a bowl, put Gud and ½ cup of water and keep it aside.
3. Put Wheat in the food processor and grind it coarsely.
4. In a heavy bottom pot, put water, wheat and dry roasted moongdal and let it cook until the wheat & moongdal become soft. Usually in 7-10 minutes on high heat.
5. Add the Gud and remaining ghee to the pot and let it cook for 5 minutes.
6. Once the stuff comes close, add coconut milk and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Finally add Elachi and fried cashew and mix it well.

You can serve this hot or cold.

Mango Custard:

Note: Follow the directions on your favorite brand of custard powder, prepare it and let it cool in refrigerator for couple of hours.

• Fruits:
  • Apple – ½ cut into small pieces
  • Grapes – 15 – cut into small pieces
  • Mango – ¼ – cut into small pieces
  • Banana – 1 – cut into small pieces
• Nuts:
  • Raisins – 1 tablespoon
  • Cashews – 2 tablespoons
  • Dates – 1 – cut into small pieces

 Method:

1. Before serving, put all the cut fruits and nuts in the mango custard and mix it gently and put it in serving bowls and garnish it with little bit of fruit pieces on top of it. 

You can put whatever fruits you like depending on your taste and season. Have fun!

Ingredients:

• Moongdal – ¼ Cup – Dry Roasted.
• Soji – ¼ Cup – Dry Roasted.
• Sugar – ½ Cup
• Milk – 1.5 Cup
• Cashews – 10
• Raisins(Kismis) – 10
• Ghee – 2 Tablespoons
• Cardamom(Elachi) – ¼ Teaspoon

Method:

1. Take a pressure cooker and put the dry roasted moongdal and wash it with water.
2. Add ½ cup of milk, ¼ cup of water and cook moongdal for 2 whistles and let it cool.
3. In a small pan, put 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashew and raisins and keep it aside.
4. Once the pressure is gone, take the lid off the cooker and put the remaining 1 cup of milk, soji, elachi, sugar and 1 tablespoon of ghee and stir it continuously so that it won’t form soji lumps.
5. Add Cashews, Raisins and mix it gently.

Serve it hot or cold.