Kerala chicken curry/Naadan kozhi curry

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

 Says who ?? Well , originally said by Arnold H. Glasgow but practically felt and implemented by none other than my better 1/2 . Remember ,the egg story I told you recently - *What came first eggs or chicken ...not in this world but to my humble jumble home sweet home ?? What ? You don't remember,how amnesia-tic of you? Did you just say ,"All because of your company ?"  Not fair !

 There can be only one more Ghajini on this planet,and that lady Ghajini is "ME".Ok now go and check out the above *blue link .Will you ? And those who are like ,"What is she speaking "? - Well,YOU TOO - check that above link and come back .THEN this post will make more sense to you ;Come on enlighten your brain and wake up those idle brain cells ! If you did - Read next !

I love chicken legs !

So,dear friends, this is the story of - How I used to chicken out ..err..I mean ...how chicken came to my new ,re-defining ,re-designing phase of my life (after my marriage) and made it completely topsy-turvy .
 
I remember, how I used to escape or pretend that I didn't see that aisle in the supermarket, haunted with skinless chicken dead bodies but deep in my heart how I wished someone would make a chicken curry for me everyday..one day hubby did try, only to realize later that it has got a potential to become an inevitable habit for his cooking illiterate wife ..so he hesitated .As kind as I am ,I felt deep mercy for him too .So,I didn't bother him either. All those chicken curries from restaurants ,as much as I hated but thinking of the bigger picture ,a part of the order, I always got it packed to go. But you know,they finish VERY quickly!

So,as time went by ,tired of my ways to satisfy my cravings for chicken and chicken being the only non-veg (meat) item my hubby would love to eat ,I had no other option than to roll over my sleeves, put my chef cap on and gear up,once a month at least, to prepare a chicken curry Indian style especially .

But as lady luck is my best foe , whenever I tried to make a Chicken curry ,my hubby was like ,"Oh wow honey,is it a Filipino style chicken curry ?" Next month ,it would be ,"Is it a Thai chicken curry?" and continued ,"Is it North Indian-East Indian-West Indian but not like South Indian ?" What is it Honey ?

That left me speechless but this saga continued for couple more years till my amma/mother came to US of A .When I was narrating this story to her ,I thought she will be lol-ing but how did I forget - She rolled my ears and my earrings were hanging upside down....poor thing - it was new !

As usual,mom's class started ,"Now you know ,why I used to ask you to help me out in the kitchen ."
I was like ,"A a aaaa oo Ouch ,I know I know." She thought she was successful in giving me another lecture though I was only trying to get rid of her hands from my beautiful ears and my new earrings.

To add fuel to the fire which I was trying hard to extinguish ,my dad would also remind her ,"Teach her everything ,all Kerala curries especially ." 

Needless to mention,momma taught me step by step ,how to make a chicken curry Indian style especially Kerala style and I was like an assistant ,who was silently taking down the notes .There on ,chicken curry became one of my specialty .

So,this is how I make Kerala style chicken curry a.k.a naadan kozhi curry ,

Amma's Kerala Chicken curry recipe

Ingredients 

Chicken,whole,chopped into bite size pieces - 1 kg

Onion,medium,finely sliced - 3 nos.

Green chillies,chopped - 3-4 nos.

Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons

Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons

Tomato ,medium ,chopped - 2 nos

Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons

Red chilly powder - 2 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Kerala Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Pepper powder - 1/2 tablespoon

 Fennel powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Coconut oil - 4-5 tablespoons

Mustard seeds - 1-2 teaspoon 

Salt to taste

Water - 1 1/2 cup

Coconut milk - 1/2 cup (optional)

Curry leaves - a few

For marinating : (optional)

Salt 1 teaspoon OR

Yogurt -3/4 cup OR

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Clean and wash the chicken well and cut them into bite size pieces.
2. Marinate the chicken with salt/yogurt/lime juice and keep it aside for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a wide pan/Kadai.Add mustard seeds to it and allow it to splutter (on high-low flame).
4. Sprinkle little salt to cook brown onion faster.
5. Add the onion slices and green chillies,saute until onions turn dark brown on medium flame.
6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute it on low flame until the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone.
7. Add a few curry leaves to it.
8. Add the chopped tomatoes to it and saute.
9. Add all spices to it and saute on low flame for a minute or two.
10. Cover it until tomatoes turn soft .
11. Add the chicken pieces to it.Mix everything well.
12. Add water to it and allow it to boil.
13. Once it reaches the boiling point,lower the flame,cover it with a lid and let it simmer for a while.
14. Once the chicken pieces are well cooked and the curry becomes thick,then add the coconut milk.(Don't allow it to boil )
15. Add remaining curry leaves and after a minute or two ,put off the flame.
16. Serve hot with boiled rice or chapathi/roti,pulao,paratha,idiappam,appam,naan or as YOU wish.

Notes:

• Marinating with any of those ingredients makes the chicken tender and juicy.You can avoid it and still make tasty curry.
•  The taste of the curry may vary according to the garam masala or any chicken masala used.Try to use any Kerala special masala for sure.
• Coconut oil and coconut milk makes it extra special,Kerala special taste.
• Adjust the spices as per your taste.This is a spicy curry!!
• This curry tastes best when served the next day.

So,that's how my hubby's patience paid off eventually.Not only this curry ,I also made other delicious Indian chicken curries like Mughlai zafrani chicken curry, Puransingh chicken curry , Patiala chicken curry and more coming up .

I say for the time being ,YOU also have patience ,just wait and watch,

Eat,love,live DELICIOUSLY,

Instant Rava idli/Semolina idli/Sooji idli

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast ~ John Gunther .

So true !! Especially if you are like me not a morning person (now it is much better ,there is some improvement though ..I am working on it ). However,when it is weekend ,it becomes a competition NOT who will wake up early INSTEAD who will wake up late .(You see,the luxury of having no kids yet and enjoying each others company to the utmost even sleeping ...This for me falls under "Simple pleasures of life" :)).

As if on Fridays,we (myself & hubby) are trying hard to prove .."Hey,weekdays are over INDEED! "...Weekend is gonna start and we will do anything we want - we'll go out , eat in a nice restaurant and forget about being a weight watcher ,watch movies in a theater perhaps, as if it's the first and last day of the show and then again at home watch movies after movies as if there is no tomorrow,we will not sleep as if we love to be insomniacs , we will snack again even if it's 2 am ,so what if we don't have popcorn ,next day we will sleep long because of the overnight haul and morning ,we will scan our refrigerator for any quick bites and we will not find any eggs for even omelets singing "Sunday ho ya Monday roz khao anday "(an old ad .aired in DD1 when I was little meaning whether it is Sunday or Monday,eat eggs everyday" ) and hubby will yawn "I-want-Idli" and I'll be like but honey P ,I forgot to make the idli batter ...Interval! ...after scratching my head as if I've severe dry itchy scalp ,I will say ..Alright let us make Rava idli !!

To those who are not aware of ,"Idli" is a very famous South Indian breakfast item . However,to make the regular idli batter it is time consuming - you have to soak the ingredients of the recipe for couple of hours and then grind them into a smooth batter and allow it to rest for like 7-8 hours and then steam them into regular idlis . So, this is something you have to plan in advance or have store bought ready made batter at home .As amnesia-tic as I am ,I most of the time forget and most of the weekend my hubby reminds me that he loves idli. However,if you have similar situation or if you want to have idlis that can be quickly made without any soaking or long fermentation ,then make rava idlis.

All you need are rava ,suji/sooji a.k.a semolina ,yogurt,water to make it into a batter and then something like "Eno" to activate the batter to rise , turn soft and spongy instant idlis plus very little spices and then to make little more healthier, I also add vegetable mix ..well rest is your creativity I say ! and all it takes is about 10-15 minutes of cooking time to make instant idlis.

By the way these idlis are quite healthy just like the regular idlis because of the semolina :

Did you know ?

• Semolina is a good source of protein,carbohydrates and fiber.
• Semolina is loaded with vitamins like Potassium,selenium,Iron especially .
• Semolina falls under "Low glycemic index " food item meaning it is digested and absorbed in the body slowly and so is very good for weight management and diabetic people.
• Good source of energy.
• The downside,it is not gluten free.

  So,this is how I make rava idli at home

Rava Idli recipe

Ingredients

Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup

Water - 1-3 cups

Yogurt/Curd - 3/4 cup

Eno salt - 1 teaspoon

Ginger ,chopped - 1 teaspoon

Green Chilly ,large,chopped - 2 nos

Afew curry leaves ,chopped

Salt to taste

Mixed vegetable (Carrots,beans,corns,peas),frozen - 1/4 cup (optional)

To temper :

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal/Black lentil - 1 teaspoon

Chana daal/Bengal Gram lentil - 1 teaspoon

Hing/Asafoetida - A pinch

Ghee/oil - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Oil to spray 

Method:

 

• Heat a pan with ghee or oil and add mustard seeds.
• When mustard seeds splutter,add everything under "To temper" on low flame so that the dals /lentils don't get burnt.
• To that add the chopped ginger, green chilly ,curry leaves and saute for a minute.
• Now add the rava/semolina and saute for a few minutes on medium flame until it becomes light brown.
• Switch off the flame.Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
• Boil the mixed vegetables,make a paste of them in a food processor.
• Now add 1 cup water,yogurt ,salt and mixed vegetable paste to it.
• Mix well.Allow the batter to sit for 8-10 minutes.
• Now take the idli maker ,add two cups of water and allow it to boil.
• Once it reaches the boiling point,lower the flame .
• Now spray or smear some oil on each idli moulds.
• Put the eno into the batter ,a tablespoon of water on top of it and give a stir .
• Pour the batter immediately into each idli mould in the idli maker.
• Close the idli maker and allow it to steam on medium flame for 10-15 minutes.
• Switch off.Let it rest for a minute.
• Carefully,open the idli maker and remove every idli using a spoon
• Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Note:

1. "Eno" is must to use to activate the batter to rise and become soft and spongy.Use it ONLY at last, just before you pour batter into idli moulds . Put a tablespoon of water on top of it and you'll see bubbles on the surface of the batter that's when you should mix batter well and pour it instantly .
2. Make sure the batter is lump free.
3. Don't use fat free yogurt if you don't want to compromise the taste.
4. When you add water to the batter,add little by little till you get the right consistency.It should be neither too thick nor too thin ,should be pourable .
5. People usually add cashews too but I don't prefer.You can.

Isn't that one healthy ,filling food to break the fast I mean breakfast item you can make anytime instantly ,leisurely and start the day to a happy weekend ?

For me it is :).

WOW – A day in the life of a rag-picker

Image courtesy - The Darkroom

When you were complaining ,no time - for gym or fresh homemade meals for your family,I woke up at dawn,

When you were complaining about your old car,cycle and bike ,I was walking barefoot from home ,far and gone,

When you were complaining, how much work you've to do even though you get full salary ,I was surviving on pennies earned from the garbage near and far away from your lawn,

When you were busy creating environmental pollution that you didn't care ,I was busy cleaning your mess and enduring the toxic zone ,

When you were complaining about the hygiene of the Govt. hospitals,I wished if I had a chance ,my mother wouldn't have died of complications and my sister would have born ,

What do you know what being rude is,ask me, when you give me a furious stare and change your tone,

Yes, I am illiterate and dirty but not a beggar or a thief ,what laws do you have as a human and a Govt to adorn,

When you waste your food , I am secretly praying to at least feed my hunger with whatever you've thrown,

When you have roof ,food ,family ,I have nothing to rely on,

You have TV,computer,theater,bar to entertain yourself ,I smoke local beedis,sniff a drug or two ,sleep with women,screw my health ,well, who is there for us to moan,

This is my life as a rag-picker which you can hardly understand and I can go on.....

P.S - I've been writing poems since schooldays,just like this,I love when it rhymes ! I don't know if it really sounds like a poem but behind my every silly writing is a hidden message ...Hope someone will be able to unlock it somehow :D...This poem is based on my observation during my recent visit to Mumbai ,also research in internet , Bollywood movies...

P.P.S - This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Kerala spicy egg curry

 

 What came first Chicken or an egg ???

 Ok ok ...sTOP,stOP,STOP you all genius people out there ...Please stop yelling "Eggs" or "Chickens" at me..You know it makes me hungry !! Both are my favorite !!

Well ,this question has baffled everyone since ages ,right from an innocent kid to the high IQ adult to the great scientist ,philosophers and even people whose brain are completely on hibernate mode "Me" !!

Well, guess what?.. looks like we all are no different when it comes to this question ...I hope this question will never be solved technically and for sure ..because let my brain have some glory people !!

Duh ! I don't know which came first but I DO know what came first to my home in US after my marriage - "EGGS" !!

You Intel inside people guessed it..Isn't it - by the post name ? ...Oh my my EGGS-cellento !!

During those initial days of marriage ,the only non-vegetarian curry I could whip up fast was "Egg curry"...It was really easy to prepare unlike vegetable curries where you may have to cut a vegetable or two and don't even let me start on chickens....Just boil the eggs ,cut some onions,chillies,some spices and voila egg curry is ready in minutes...Best part of it - you can have it with roti/chappathi,rice,idiyappam,appam,even dosa and idlis....So...you might have kind of guessed it...I would make a big bowl of curry with loads of egg swimming in it as if crying - Help help help !! ...And I used it to torture my hubby for a few days straight with this eggs-cellent curry .. and when he would also say - "Help,hELP,HELP"...I would stop it finally...

As a matter of fact ,egg curry is still my favorite go to curry on lazy days....If a chicken would see me what I do with all those eggs..then no one can stop her from becoming a really bad,very bad,sad,mad "Angry bird" !!

So,here is a spicy Kerala egg curry recipe and this is how I make Kerala spicy egg curry ....

Kerala spicy egg curry

Ingredients

Egg - 2 nos.

Onion,big ,sliced- 1 no.

Green chillies - 2 nos.

Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Tomato,medium,chopped - 1 no.

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilly powder - 2 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon

Kerala garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - A few

Coconut milk - 3 tablespoons (optional)
Water - 1/2-3/4 cup

Salt as needed

Coconut oil - 3 tablespoon

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Saute the onions and green chillies until onions turn translucent on medium flame.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste to it ,saute for a minute or two on low flame.
4. Add tomatoes and spices, saute for a few minutes and cover it with a lid until tomato turns mushy.
5. Remove the lid .Mix everything well .
6. Add curry leaves,saute for a minute.
7. Add water .Allow everything to boil on high flame.
8. Once it starts boiling,lower the flame and allow it to simmer for a while until it thickens a bit.
9. Add coconut milk to it.Stir well.
10. Serve hot with chapathi,roti,rice,idiyappam,appam,naan etc etc....

Note:

• If you are using some ordinary garam masala which doesn't have fennel seeds and ground pepper in it,then do add 1/4 teaspoon each for this curry. You can even omit the garam masala.

• Since this curry is a spicy version,I added just tablespoons of coconut milk .To make it less spicy add more as per your taste.

How about you- what came first - Egg or chicken?..Ok ok before you start eating my teeny weeny brain ...I meant..to your home...during those initial days after the big day...??


Well, whatever it is..I wish you an EGGs-cellent (read Excellent)  life my dear Amigo...whether you are single,married,harried,momma,grandma ....Sunday ho ya monday roz khao anday(remember those egg ads in DD1)...:D

Healthy Chicken meatball

Morty: Hey, gang, come on! Look it, just `cause we're losing doesn't mean it's all over.

Phil: Cut the crap, Morty. I mean, the Mohawks have beaten us the last twelve years, they're gonna beat us again.

Tripper: That's just the attitude we don't need. Sure, Mohawk has beaten us twelve years in a row. Sure, they're terrific athletes. They've got the best equipment that money can buy. Hell, every team they're sending over here has their own personal masseuse, not masseur, masseuse. But it doesn't matter. 

Do you know that every Mohawk competitor has an electrocardiogram, blood and urine tests every 48 hours to see if there's any change in his physical condition?

 Do you know that they use the most sophisticated training methods from the Soviet Union, East and West Germany, and the newest Olympic power Trinidad-Tobago? But it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER. I tell you, IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER! IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER! IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!

Tripper: And even, and even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far over our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days. Even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field. 

Even if every man, woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter, because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk 'cause they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!

These dialogues almost sums up the motto of my life , my lifestyle , whatever I do - even blogging ,eating,laughing,writing,cooking,relationship,job etc etc...."Just keep going ,do your best ,enjoy ,have fun ,rest doesn't matter "....For me, "Life is not a race !" .."

The only person I compete with - is "ME ",to be a better person than I was yesterday ! The only thing I want to win is love and respect from my loved ones ,live the life God blessed me with, to the fullest, with gratitude ,so that ,when I'll look back tomorrow/future, it should make me feel the ultimate winner.

The only thing I am afraid to lose is self-respect , self-love , self - belief ,health and neither the last nor the least ,the people who matters me the most .....rest as they say or said .."IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!".

 

Noodles overcooked that's what happens when u r busy in updating FB status :D..my bad!!

Woaaah !.. Now those dialogues did bring the philosopher in me ...Well, that's what happens whenever I watch a movie,the lesson or it's inspirational side lingers with me forever... and if you don't remember these dialogues,it's from an old English movie, "MEATBALLS" ,Bill Murray's first movie I believe - it is actually a summer camp based story - quite simple ,like a documentary ,nice and little naughty ...but for me it was more like an inspiration ....and the above dialogues are my favorite !

There was this one more dialogue that touched me :-

Tripper: Kids are starving in India and you're walking around with a sombrero full of peanuts.. 

Isn't it amazing how an old American movie tried to incorporate and empathize with those underprivileged kids and their condition in India back then ..KUDOS!! ...and then there are a few Indians among us who still can't even sympathize or stand them or do something for them .......

Ok ,though this post may sound like all about a movie but it is not - as a matter of fact it is all about just "MEATBALLS" . Little story ,little recipe ..these quotes just pops up in my head like sweet balls ..hahah...I mean whenever I make "Meatballs" ....now you know :)..

So, yes coming to the point,today's post is all about meatballs with a difference ...Naah no more stories or quotes or philosophies but that this is a very healthy kinda meatballs made with Quinoa flakes,chicken,spices,onion and rest you'll see below and it is baked .Sounds healthy ?

So, here - this is how I make healthy spicy Chicken meatballs :

Healthy Chicken meatballs

Makes 12 meatballs

Ingredients

Ground chicken - 250 g 

Onion,sliced - 1 cup

Green chilli - 1 no. (optional)

Garlic ,chopped - 1-2 cloves

Parsley leaves  - a few

Sriracha sauce - 1-2 tablespoons

 Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil - 1-2 tablespoon

Any cheese ,grated - 2 tablespoon

Quinoa flakes - 1/2 cup

Egg,beaten - 1

Marinara Sauce

Method:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Put oil in a pan and put onion,green chilli and stir fry until translucent.Add chopped garlic to it and fry for a minute.
3. Cut the chicken into long strips and stir fry with the above onion-green chilli-garlic mixture .Cover it for a minute to cook it faster .Remove the cover ,add the parsley leaves, fry everything until the chicken is well cooked.
4. Keep it aside to cool a bit.
5. Mix quinoa flakes,beaten egg,cheese,sriracha sauce and the above chicken stir fry mixture ,put them in a mixer jar /blender and make/blend it into a pliable mixture not a paste though.(That can be easily rolled into neither too coarse nor too fine balls).
6. Now,roll the mixture into small balls .
7. Line an oven safe tray or pan with a parchment paper .
8. Place the meatballs onto the parchment paper and bake it for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Once done dunk them into the marinara sauce and keep them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour to make it more flavorful.

Or,enjoy it hot with spaghetti and marinara sauce or in any other way you like it.

 

Notes :

• Parmesan cheese is usually used but any cheese will do or can be even omitted.
• Instead of parsley leaves you can also use basil leaves,sriracha sauce can be substituted with any red hot sauce or even ketchup and red pepper flakes.
• I didn't have quinoa powder so used the quinoa flakes I had but instead of quinoa flakes ,you can use just the usual breadcrumbs .

By the way ,is it just me or did anyone have meatballs with noodles and marinara sauce ..looked similar to me hhehehe...I didn't have spaghetti on hand  ...well, as they say ,"IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER" !! .........

Live,love,eat DELICIOUSLY,

Punjabi/North Indian Garam Masala recipe

 Remember those history lessons ,what made India the center of attraction by every other civilizations ,royals,traders,voyagers etc around the world - "The spices" !!

During historic era,Spices became priceless and worth more than any Gold or diamonds ,they dragged Romans to Arabs to Jews to India,they were also the reason behind how Columbus discovered America and Vasco De Gama's voyage from Portugal to India.

The variety of exquisite flavors ,intense yet subtle aromas,therapeutic properties,pungency of spices that possessed the magical power to convert any ordinary dish to extra-ordinary, made them the most sought-after and inevitable in the preparation of appetizing food around the world .

Infact,from as early as 3000 B.C. ,Kerala,became the major spice trade center of the world and so,is famously known as "The land of spices".

The spices like Saffron,Cinnamon,Cardamom,cloves,Mace etc were considered the expensive ones while cumin,coriander,ginger etc were considered to be cheaper ones.The variety of Indian spices can be found here.

Ayurveda,the oldest healing practice / "Science of life "considers the spices to be wonder foods full of medicinal properties.That's how the name "Garam Masala" was coined .Garam means hot and Masala means spice mix.The hot here represents, to heat the body by elevating the body temperature ,aiding the proper digestion and thereby raising the metabolism of the human body . As per Ayurveda ,by using the right spices ,all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent—at every main meal will enhance vitality, strength, immunity, and overall well being.

Therefore ,Garam masala has become the quintessential part of Indian gastronomy and the reason of it being the one-of-a-kind flavor inducing food item popular around the world.

As diverse India is,so are the type of garam masalas used here.It varies from state to state,town to town,home to home,person to person - carried on from one generation to another.And every spice used distinctly promotes unique and lip smacking flavors.

There are varieties of  Garam Masalas commercially available but the one made fresh at home is simply incomparable ! It can also act as an air freshener then.

When South Indian/Kerala Garam masala is made like this with a few spices ,the North Indian/Punjabi garam Masala is made like this with lots of spices (my version) of course.....

So,today I am going to share how I make Punjabi Garam Masala at home

Punjabi Garam Masala

Yields 4 oz

Ingredients

Coriander seeds - 4 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds - 3 tablespoons

Star Anise - 1 no.

Mace - 1-2 nos

Cardamom pods (Green)- 1 tablespoon

Cloves - 1 tablespoon

Cinnamon (1")- 10 nos

Bayleaf - 1 no

Dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Caraway seeds - 3 teaspoon

Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon

Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon

Long pepper - 2 nos.(Optional)

Method:

NOTE:

1. Dry roasting spices helps in releasing the natural oil in the whole spices and which further enhances the taste,aroma and potency and accentuates the flavor of a food to the next level.
2. The exact time to roast depends upon the pan used like thick pan may take some more time and thinner may take less time ,then the quantity of spices used and the heat used to dry roast it.
3. Always preheat the pan on high flame and then lower the heat to dry roast and keep on stirring otherwise if it takes longer time than needed, it may burn and turn the spices to bitter taste ,so always keep an eye when the spices may crackle or change color and exude strong aroma.That's when you've to stop.
4. While using a thick pan,it may take only 30 seconds to 1 minute to dry roast after preheating.Thinner pans require additional caution.
5. Always store it in an airtight container .It's better to make in smaller quantity as the potency of these spices tends to decrease with time.The fresher it is used,more flavorful and fresh curry etc will taste. 

I hope the smell of my spices woke you up because the history class is over people .

Osmania Biscuits

 

If there is any snack that really makes a true Hyderabadi go "mania"c with loads of awwwws ("Os"),that is none other than the snacky,"Osmania Biscuits" !

How do I know this ?? Well,my better 1/2 is a Hyderabadi (well, half Hyderabadi-half mallu) and one of his maniac episode :P (oops hope he is not reading this ..God please make this blog post unavailable to Honey P...Plss !!)  ..I mean that's what I felt whenever he would say ,you should make some Osmania biscuits for me. He sounded that crazy about it.I was like ohh wow even the name says mania haha...but then sounds like a posh biscuit like something from England,Paris,or Americana ...then my dear hubby reminded me that my GK needs to be updated as always so he took me to the nearby Indian grocery and they had this biscuits...

I was surprised I never ever saw these biscuits there and how can I...all I see in a grocery store are varieties of Indian sweets seducing me lol....as if singing aaja aaja tu hai pyaar mera ....ok I am deviating..but that's what happens !...Hubby bought these biscuits especially for me to try and to my surprise, his face became gloomy and "Done" type...I enjoyed the biscuit but to be frank did not find anything extraordinary about it ...Hubby said,"Nope this is not the authentic Osmania biscuit...we'll have it in our next India visit in Hyderabad." .And yes, we had it this time when we went to India (Yes ,I was on a vacation for good two months in India !!).

I was really taken aback because this biscuit ruled each and every small to big restaurants' menu in Hyderabad especially with their another famous chai/evening tea called Irani chai . Their evening tea was in fact incomplete without this very biscuit .And people just loved this biscuit and that tea to the core.Like my hubby all these Hyderabadis sounded maniac when it came to this biscuit :D....I thought no wonder why they named it Osmania ......but as my mind was ROFLing...and shared with my hubby too ...He said ,"It's good to know that you do have a brain in your head ,but it's not getting the right information yet."

I was like ..Ok Honey P ..enlighten me then ...He said there are two stories to it .

1. It is named after the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan who ordered his chefs to exclusively bake a cookie that is sweet ,salty ,little crispy .
2. The dieticians of the Osmania General hospital (a well known hospital in Hyderabad) made these cookies for their patients and later the cafes surrounding the hospital started making it too because of the huge public demand and then it became unstoppable to any restaurant owners in Hyderabad.

Though my brain was like "Whatever"  !! It was good to know that this is our own desi mania :P..I mean Desi style cookie that was one of a kind with loads of awe factor in it....sweet,salt and yum !..Loved it !!!

I was narrating all these stories to one of my relative in Hyderabad .To my surprise, she said she has some at home as we spoke ,as her mother makes it too .Then you know what happened right ??

I used that lid to make round shapes....

Of course, I did eat those biscuits at her home later but that I forced aunty to give me the recipe as she is like my mother, she eyeballs any recipe . Eventually, may be she wanted to get rid of me or something ASAP that she did give me a detailed recipe . So,this is based on her recipe .Basically  Osmania biscuits are made up of all purpose flour,milk powder,custard powder,cornflour,sugar,salt and a good mix of butter and ghee.

 

Osmania Biscuit 

Ingredients

1 cup All purpose flour

1/4 cup custard powder

1/2 cup milk powder

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

1/4 cup melted shudh desi ghee/clarified butter

1 tablespoon milk 

Method:

1. First mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and keep it aside.
2. Now mix all wet ingredients in another bowl and keep it aside.
3. Now mix them both in a bowl until a smooth dough is formed.Keep it aside for 5 minutes.
4. Roll the dough on a thin sheet with a roller.
5. Cut them into round shapes and arrange them in a oven safe tray .
6. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until slightly brown at 350 degree F..
7. Once done,remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
8. Enjoy !

 Now, this is one such cookie that certainly don't need a specific GI(Geographical Indication) to brand it.It's name says it all .And do I've to say how a Nawabi biscuit would taste like ? Try it and let me know !:)

Live,love,laugh deliciously,