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