Murukulu Janthikalu#SundayFunday

Murukulu also known as Janthikulu is a savory snack of the Andhra cuisine. This Murukku is a mixture of urad dal flour and rice flour. Its easy to make and a addictive snack. We love the crispness and the buttery taste of this snack.

An ideal festival savory snack, these are vegan & gluten free, prefect for kid's tiffin. They stay crisp and fresh in your pantry shelf for a month or more if stored in an airtight container.

1 Cup Measurement = 200 Ml
Ingredients
4 Cups Rice Flour
1 Cup Urad Dal flour
2 Tablespoons White Butter or any
1 Cup Warm Water or as required
1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
1 Teaspoon Red Chilly powder - optional
1 Teaspoon Each White & Black Sesame seeds
Oil for deep frying

Method
Take a pan dry roast urad dal flour lightly for a few minutes. See that it does not change color or burn. Keep aside to cool.

In a bowl add flours, sesame seeds, salt, butter, mix well till it represents bread crumbs. 

Then add warm water little by little as need to make a soft dough.

Take the murukulu press ( a disk with three holes)
add the dough into it and press on top into hot oil a make a 

Or this one, make a round murukku. 

Fry till light golden brown on medium flame, then remove. Keep it on an absorbent paper to remove the excess oil. When cooled store in an airtight container. 

This is a snack that can be made any time for children to have in the evening or to take as tiffin. My daughter use to take this as her tiffin to school.  

My Notes 

Grind 1 kg rice and 1/4 kg lightly roasted urad dal. Grind it in the flour mill. Make these any time in a jiffy.

Use white butter (this is homemade butter, which is used to make desi ghee) , it give a nice taste and make the murukulu more crispy.

You can add ajwain or coarsely ground cumin seeds.

Labels: Indian, Savory Snacks, Festival Sweets, Deep Fried, Rice flour, Urad Dal flour, Andhra Pradesh, Chakli, Murukulu, Vegan, Gluten free, Sunday Funday

For Sunday Funday our theme is "Picnic Recipes"     

• Bacon Broccoli Mac from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Cucumber Mozzarella Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Spicy Avocado Mango Bean Salad from Cook with Renu
• Mango Pico De Gallo from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Cowboy Beans from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Murukulu Janthikalu from Sneha’s Recipe
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Marble Stuffed Coconut Pancakes -East Indian#SundayFunday

These stuffed and rolled sweet pancakes, is prepared with coconut, sugar and flour as the main ingredient. These are mainly made East Indian on pancake Tuesday, at must in every household. I made these with three different colors and gave a marble effect to the pancakes. They are soft, luscious and delicious, assure you, that, you can't stop at one.

Ingredients
For The Kesar Filling
1 Big Coconut - grated
1/3 Cup Cashew nuts chopped
¼ Cup Rasins
A pinch of Kesar color
2 - 3 Drops Kesar essence
¼ Teaspoon Cardamoms powder
½ Cup Granulated Sugar or adjust to your taste
1 Teaspoon Ghee
For The Pancake Batter
1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Small Eggs
Water or Milk - as required to make a thin batter
¼ Teaspoon Vanilla essence

Method
For The Kesar Filling

Cook the grated coconut with sugar & color on low heat till the sugar melts. Add raisins, cashew nuts and cardamom powder. Cook till the coconut mixture is semi dry, there shouldn't be much moisture in it.

For The Batter

Beat the egg lightly. Mix the flour, milk or water to a fairly thin pouring consistency. 

Divide into 4 portions add the yellow color to one and the green color to the other, third one pink and rest white.
To Make The Pancakes

Take a 6" dia non stick pan. Smear it with oil and wipe it clean. Pour small spoons of different color batter's in the center and swirl the pan so that the batter covers it evenly, any excess batter take is out so that you get a thin pancake.
Cook for a minute or so and then turn it over on a board. (Repeat the process till all the batter is used).

Place  1 - 2 tablespoons of the filling. Fold the sides then roll up the pancake tight or u can even seal edges & roll.

Enjoy!!

My Notes

I have divided the batter into different colors and gradually added a small spoon of each while and swirling the pan.
Labels: Pancake, Stuffed, East Indian, Egg, Coconut, Marble, Sunday Funday, Sweets & Desserts, Festival Sweets

Sunday Funday

Mardis Gras & Fat Tuesday 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Cajun Nachos
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Muffuletta Sandwich
• Cook with Renu: Homemade Baked Donuts
• Food Lust People Love: Pecan Praline Cookies
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms
• Palatable Pastime: Bourbon Chicken Wings
• Sneha's Recipe : Marble Stuffed Coconut Pancakes

Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya With Whole Wheat Flour

These are good for travelling stay's well for 2 -3 days. Festival sweet for Ganapati or Dassehra puja. This is a famous Maharastrian recipe.
1 Cup = 200 Ml
Ingredients
For Stuffing
1 Cup fine Semolina
1 Teaspoon Desi Ghee
¾ cup Grated Jaggery - I used organic Jaggery
A Pinch of Salt
1½ Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
For The Outer Covering
A Pinch of Salt
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Oil
Water as required to make a dough

Method

In sauce pan add 1½ cup water on medium high flame let is come to a boil, add the jaggery and stir till it melts. Strain this mixture and then pour this into the same pan again. Bring this to a boil.

On medium low flame heat a pan add a teaspoon ghee and roast semolina till it starts to release an aroma, add a pinch of salt. 

Pour the strained jaggery water and stir continuously till there are no lumps . Cover with lid and let it cook for 5 minutes or till the water gets absorbed in semolina(do not cook it too long or else the jaggery will harden and you will not be able to roll the polya). Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder and stir nicely. 

Cool and then knead this well till forms a soft ball and keep aside. 

Divide into 6 equal round balls.

Let's make dough for the outer covering

Sift wheat flour in a large bowl. Heat a tablespoon of oil on medium high flame. Pour this hot oil into flour, with a spoon mix it well. Add little water at a time and knead dough to medium soft consistency. Keep this covered for 20 minutes. Then divide it into 6 equal balls.

Take one dough ball and flatten it with your finger to make small round dish . Fill a semolina ball in the center and cover it tightly to make ball. 

Close all the edges and cover stuffing ball with the dough.
Dust this ball with some wheat flour, and lightly flatten it, roll it gently with rolling pin. 

Keep turning the chapatti, so that it doesn't stick to the work surface. The hand should be light while rolling, if you use too much pressure it with start to break and the filling will ooze out while baking.  

Here it's perfect.

Heat a griddle/ tawa, when it just warm, place the roti on it

cook till it become golden spots on one side and it puff up.

Drizzle a teaspoon of desi ghee and flip it with a spatula and let it cook till golden brown. 

Now drizzle a teaspoon or more of desi ghee, on and around the polya while it's baking. This will give nice ghee taste and flavor to Sanjyachi Poli.

Here it's perfectly baked, soft like cotton..lush lushit!!

                              

Like wise make the rest of the Sanjyachya Ploya!!

Serve hot!! 

We had with our hot cup of tea. 

Labels: Maharastrian Cuisine, Jaggery, Wheat Flour, Fine Semolina, Sugar Free, Cardamom Powder, Stuffed Flatbreads, Breads, Breakfast, Sweets & Desserts, Festival Sweets

Gajar Halwa With Khoya/Mawa#Foodieextravaganza

Gajar Halwa is a carrot based mouth watering popular dessert rich in taste. Gajar Halwa is traditionally eaten during all the festivals in India and made especially in winter when red carrots are widely available.
This is my hubby and son-in-law's favorite. I make this halwa at least thrice in winter.

1 Cup = 200 Ml Cup
Ingredients
1¼ Kg Red Carrot
250 Ml Milk
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Heaped Tablespoons Milk Powder

2 Tablespoons Desi Ghee
300 Grams Homemade Khoya/Mawa

¼ Cup Chopped Cashew nuts
¼ Cup Raisins
1 Teaspoon Cardamom powder

Method

Wash and clean the carrots, peel it, and then grate into the bowl using the thin grater.
In a thick bottom kadai add the carrot and ghee, cover and cook on medium low flame for 10 to 15 minutes stirring in between till the carrot is cooked and has a shine. 

Add the milk and cook without the lid till the moisture evaporated . Keep stirring in between after every 3 -4 minutes.

Cook opened till the milk nearly evaporates.

Add the sugar 

and cook till sugar melts and moisture evaporates.

Now add the mawa, milk powder and cook stirring for about 3 -5 minutes. Then add the chopped cashews and raisins cook for 5 minutes, stirring again after every 3 -4 minutes. Add cardamom powder and give it a good mix.
                             

Served garnished with chopped cashew nuts, pistachio, raisins. Enjoy!!

Gajar Halwa is so yummy and delicious.

Lables: Carrot , Halwa, Mawa, Festival Sweets,Sweets & Desserts, Foodie Extravaganza Party, No Bake Desserts

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly food fest, where a group of bloggers all create and share a recipe around one of the monthly food 'holidays' as detailed in The Nibble. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook pageFoodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

Our host for hosting this month's event Sneha of https://snehasrecipe.blogspot.com/See all the other recipes for today's Foodie Extravaganza Event - National Carrot Day

Carrot Fries From Magical Ingredients 
Carrot Salad with Feta and Pistachios From A Day in the Life on the Farm 
Carrot Slaw From Palatable Pastime

Duck-fat Roasted Carrots and Parsnips From Food Lust People Love 

Gajar Halwa With Khoya/Mawa From Sneha's Recipe 
Pasta Salad with Roasted Carrots and Kale From Karen's Kitchen Stories 

Roasted Carrots with Vinaigrette From Making Miracles  

Khoya/Mawa Gujiya With Dry Fruits

Gujiya/Turnover is a classic North India sweet which is crispy, flaky pastry filled with khoya/mawa and nuts stuffing. Gujia is generally deep fried. This are traditional is sweet that is made for Holi or Diwali festival.

Measurement 1 Cup = 200 Ml Cup
Ingredients
Recipe For The Dough
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Desi Ghee
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup +1 Tablespoon Water 
For The Stuffing 
125 Grams Mawa/ Khoya Homemade
2 Tablespoons Fine Semolina/Rawa 
1 Cup Level Powdered Sugar
½ Teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder
1 Tablespoon Lightly Toasted Charoli - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Golden Rasins– finely chopped
20 Lightly Toasted Cashewnuts - finely chopped
20 Lightly Toasted Almonds - finely chopped
½ Cup Desiccated Coconut

Method

Dry roast the semolina on a pan till light pink, remove and keep aside.
In the same pan separately toast the cashewnuts, almonds and charoli lightly, remove and keep them in a plate. Then finely chop them.

Recipe For Dough 

Rub the ghee into flour with your hands well till it represents bread crumbs. Then first add ¼ cup water and start to knead into a stiff dough, add the other ¼ cup and make a stiff dough if necessary just a teaspoon to a tablespoon of water. 

This dough will not be smooth at all, but, do not worry just cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour. In the meantime let's prepare the stuffing/filling.

Chop the dry fruit finely and mix in the desiccated coconut and cardamon powder.
Microwave the mawa on high power for a minute. Cool then add rest of the ingredients and mix well the filling is ready.

The dough has been rested and become smooth, knead it well again. make lemon size balls and roll it into a slightly thick puri 

then cut it with a round cutter or use a gujiya mold to make them slightly wet the edges with water  

then place a heaped tablespoon of filling . 

Cover it and seal it the edges by pressing it with your thumb, then with  with a fork make a design.

Like wise make all and let them rest covered with a damp cloth for 10 minutes.

In the meantime pour oil into deep frying pan and heat it till slightly hot and on medium low flame frying them 3 - 4 at a time or more if your pan is bigger till golden brown.

These are all fried, crispy flaky.

These are packed and ready to take for our trekker's Holi party on the hills. Enjoy

My Notes

Make sure you do not add a lot of water while kneading the dough -  the dough should stiff/hard.
Cook the khoya properly until it releases fat and become bit brown.
If you feel that the stuffing is dry the add few teaspoons of milk
Rest the dough properly and it will become easy to use.
You don’t need to apply any dry flour to roll the dough
Do not fry the gujiya on a high flame the flame should always be low. 

Labels: Desi Ghee, Desiccated Coconut, Almond, Cashewnuts, Charoli, Golden Raisins, Mawa, Homemade, Festival Sweets, Deep Fried, Turnover, Gujiya