It has been a very long time since I have last blogged....there has been a lot going on in our lives....and this has put me off my stride....have been meaning to get back to it for quite a while - but have found that once I am off - it is almost forgotten....weird right...considering how into it I was once...
Anyways after ages, I actually baked something...muffins with figs and cashew nuts....sounds very yum....somehow it did not turn out that good - there was some problem either with the recipe or the method - or with the usual substitutions that I tend to bring to any recipe I read...so whatever ...the end result was not truly professional ( it was ok for me and my family...)...so though we all ate & relished it up - I did not feel like I could write about it - maybe after I tweak it some more...
Then a couple of days later - a bunch of methi leaves which were sitting in my fridge and nagging me to do something...got me started in the thinking, planning, recipe reading etc...mode....
After a lot of thought decided to go ahead with the making of tikkis...had all the necessary ingredients on hand...and it had been a really long time since I had last made it...
Then had to choose between the more healthy option of baking...or the more tasty option of fried...went with the fried for this time...
Somehow during the making of this, I kept remembering my mother-in-law, an amazing cook and an avid foodie herself - even ill health ( towards the later years ) did not keep her from getting involved in the process of any special dish being prepared...
One such memory still lingers, of her removing the leaves of the methi - then after the dough was put in the dish - she supervised the amount of oil to be added and mixed it herself - and saw to the addition of the spices and leaves, left the final kneading and frying to the cook, she was so particular about how it is to be prepared....esp. if it was being prepared for her loved ones...
Though she has told me how she used to do this ...and I have prepared it too earlier as per her recipe - this time around I did not remember all the details - so looked up the net for a few different options ( will check it out later to see how it differs from m-i-l's version )...
This version turned out really amazing...so thought I should get it down....sorry ..no pictures for this time...had not really decided to write it till they were all pretty much eaten up...so will wait for the next time...
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour ( thicker than regular flour - used generally for bakri )
1/2 cup besan
1 tsp whole pepper
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
salt to taste
1/2 bunch of methi leaves - chopped fine ( about 1 cup)
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 - 2 green chillies chopped fine
2 Tblspn oil
Oil for deep frying
Method :
1) Clean and chop the methi leaves
2) Roughly crush the pepper and coriander seeds with a mortar & pestle.
3) In a bowl, add the flour, besan, turmeric, salt, oil and mix it all till the oil it properly incorporated - then add the rest of the ingredients and the methi leaves and mix well. Add little water to get it all together in the form of a thick dough.
4) Keep aside for 15 - 30 minutes - for it to all come together.
5) Take small pinches of dough and make a ball in your palms - then press it flat - make about 5-6 at a time - and fry them in a low to medium hot oil.
Take care to see that the oil is not too hot - otherwise it will burn out and remain raw inside...
6) Once the tikki is reddish brown on both sides - take it out and drain on plate lined with tissue ( so as to drain out the extra oil ).
Serve hot with green chutney...
This makes an excellent snack with tea or just by itself - it also serves as an great addition to any meal as a snack...or 'farsan' ....it is crunchy due to the thick wheat flour ( jada atta ), and the pepper and coriander add a nice flavour, you could increase the spiciness by adding chillies as per your taste, the slight bitter taste of methi adds to the overall taste...and makes a great contrast with the other tastes and flavours of a meal.
Do check it out...and hopefully you will be as impressed by this simple, yet amazing dish.
Anyways after ages, I actually baked something...muffins with figs and cashew nuts....sounds very yum....somehow it did not turn out that good - there was some problem either with the recipe or the method - or with the usual substitutions that I tend to bring to any recipe I read...so whatever ...the end result was not truly professional ( it was ok for me and my family...)...so though we all ate & relished it up - I did not feel like I could write about it - maybe after I tweak it some more...
Then a couple of days later - a bunch of methi leaves which were sitting in my fridge and nagging me to do something...got me started in the thinking, planning, recipe reading etc...mode....
After a lot of thought decided to go ahead with the making of tikkis...had all the necessary ingredients on hand...and it had been a really long time since I had last made it...
Then had to choose between the more healthy option of baking...or the more tasty option of fried...went with the fried for this time...
Somehow during the making of this, I kept remembering my mother-in-law, an amazing cook and an avid foodie herself - even ill health ( towards the later years ) did not keep her from getting involved in the process of any special dish being prepared...
One such memory still lingers, of her removing the leaves of the methi - then after the dough was put in the dish - she supervised the amount of oil to be added and mixed it herself - and saw to the addition of the spices and leaves, left the final kneading and frying to the cook, she was so particular about how it is to be prepared....esp. if it was being prepared for her loved ones...
Though she has told me how she used to do this ...and I have prepared it too earlier as per her recipe - this time around I did not remember all the details - so looked up the net for a few different options ( will check it out later to see how it differs from m-i-l's version )...
This version turned out really amazing...so thought I should get it down....sorry ..no pictures for this time...had not really decided to write it till they were all pretty much eaten up...so will wait for the next time...
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour ( thicker than regular flour - used generally for bakri )
1/2 cup besan
1 tsp whole pepper
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
salt to taste
1/2 bunch of methi leaves - chopped fine ( about 1 cup)
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 - 2 green chillies chopped fine
2 Tblspn oil
Oil for deep frying
Method :
1) Clean and chop the methi leaves
2) Roughly crush the pepper and coriander seeds with a mortar & pestle.
3) In a bowl, add the flour, besan, turmeric, salt, oil and mix it all till the oil it properly incorporated - then add the rest of the ingredients and the methi leaves and mix well. Add little water to get it all together in the form of a thick dough.
4) Keep aside for 15 - 30 minutes - for it to all come together.
5) Take small pinches of dough and make a ball in your palms - then press it flat - make about 5-6 at a time - and fry them in a low to medium hot oil.
Take care to see that the oil is not too hot - otherwise it will burn out and remain raw inside...
6) Once the tikki is reddish brown on both sides - take it out and drain on plate lined with tissue ( so as to drain out the extra oil ).
Serve hot with green chutney...
This makes an excellent snack with tea or just by itself - it also serves as an great addition to any meal as a snack...or 'farsan' ....it is crunchy due to the thick wheat flour ( jada atta ), and the pepper and coriander add a nice flavour, you could increase the spiciness by adding chillies as per your taste, the slight bitter taste of methi adds to the overall taste...and makes a great contrast with the other tastes and flavours of a meal.
Do check it out...and hopefully you will be as impressed by this simple, yet amazing dish.
Great work buddy, keep it up site Nice Website. You should think more about RSS Feeds as a traffic source. They bring me a nice bit of traffic
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