Nankatai

Nankatai is an Indian style butter biscuit. In winter, we were to enjoy it with hot pakoda or hot samosa. The shortbread cookies Lorna Doone from Nabisco remind me of Nankatai.

Ingredients (For approximately 48 pieces)

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Cream Of Wheat
• 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp mixed spices
• 4-5 cardamom pods
• 12 almonds or 24 pisachio
  

Directions

1. Mix sugar and powdered cardamom. Add butter and beat until smooth.
2. Mix flour and cream of wheat. Add this to butter sugar mix gradually and make a soft dough.
   
3. Make small round balls and press them to make thick circle. At the center of each press 1/4 th almond or 1/2 pistachio. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until turns light brown.

The crumbs of Nankatai can be used to make a base for cheese cake.
Looking for more vegetarian dessert ideas? Check out BabyCakes!

Gulab Jamun

Gulab jamun is a common Indian dessert, made of milk powder, flour, and using rosewater flavoring. The word gulab means rose.

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 8) :
For balls (Jamun)

• 4 cups milk powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (not baking powder)
• 2 cups yogurt (Vary according to the firmness of yogurt to get soft dough)
• Vegetable shortening or ghee for frying

For Syrup

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups water
• For flavor (a) Rose water 1/4 cup, OR (b) Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp saffron

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the milk powder, flour, and baking soda.
2. In a cup, beat yogurt to make it uniform.
3. Add yogurt gradually to the mix and make a dough that should be soft to touch.
4. Make 1/2 inch diameter balls (use ghee on palm to reduce dough sticking).
   
5. In a frying pan with ghee on medium heat, deep fry 4-5 balls at a time till they turn brown. Put balls in strainer to get out the excess ghee.
   
6. In a pan, mix sugar and water. Heat until sugar dissolves completely and mixture starts boiling. Turn off heat.
   
7. Float the balls in syrup and cover them completely with the syrup.

Several variations are possible. While making the jamun balls, one can put at the center a variety of ingredients such as saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, sugar cube, or pistachios. Or, you can try the jamun-within-jamun approach: mix a small portion of dough with powdered spices of your liking and place this at the center of a larger jamun ball.


Related Posts:

• Halwa
• Eggless Cake Recipe
• Shortbread

ChocoFrost Chocolate Cake Frosting

Want something besides vanilla frosting for your cake? Try this chocolate flavored frosting from Denise (1986).

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 cup instant powder milk
• For Spicy Flavoring, use 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves, or 1 tbsp grated orange rind, or cut milk powder to 2/3 cup and add 1/3 cup chocolate powder.

Directions

1. Mix butter, honey, vanilla in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered milk, flavoring and milk gradually while mixing well and keeping the preparation light and fluffy.

This amount of icing should cover a 10" diameter cake. Adjust proportionately for different sized cakes.

Puri

Puri is a deep fried Indian flat bread preparation made of wheat often served on special occassions. Various curries or desserts such as kheer, Srikhand, or Aamrus often accompany puri. Halwa and sabji go well with puris also.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 4 cups of wheat flour
• 1/2 cup besan flour (Gram or Soya flour: optional)
  
• 2 tablespoons oil (increase amount for fragile crisp puris)
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons sugar (for crisp puris)
  
• Oil or ghee to fry
  

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients.
   
2. Work in oil and knead dough to firm consistency.
3. Divide dough in to 24 parts and make balls. Apply some oil to keep balls from sticking to each other.
4. Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball to about 4" circle (puri). Use a drop of oil if needed.
   
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan. After the oil is heated, fry each puri as follows:
6. Details of frying: As soon as each puri is dipped in hot oil, it should be covered with oil. When it comes to the surface, it should swell up; if not, help it by gently pressing with a spatula (zaara) in the oil. Once sufficiently puffed, turn it over and fry till lower side becomes light brown.
7. Remove from the pan, and put it in a big sieve to drain excess oil.
8. After 5 minutes, put it in a plate with absorbent paper at the bottom.
   

The left over puris can be stacked like Pringles and wrapped in foil.

Halwa

Halwa is a sweet dish made out of grain and a sweetener such as jaggary, dates, or sugar. It can be a part of heavy breakfast, brunch, or evening party. Halwa is often combined with other dishes in combinations such as "Halwa-Puri-Sabji" or "Halwa-Pohe." Other names for Halwa include Laapshi in Marwad or Satyanaryan Pooja Prasad on Hindu religious occasions.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 cup cream of wheat ( 10 minute variety )
  
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water or milk
• 6 pods of cardamom powdered
• 8-10 strands of saffron, powdered or soaked in 1 tablespoon of water
• Almond or cashews and raisins for decoration

Directions:

1. In a 10" non-stick pan, add the butter and let it melt on medium heat. Cover the bottom and sides by swirling 1-2 times.
2. Add cream of wheat and using wooden spatula mix it and move it to and fro until it turns brownish and is uniformly roasted.
3. Add water/milk slowly while mixing it and cover.
   
4. Let the pot simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
5. Add sugar and mix well. If the halwa still looks dry, add a little liquid. Again cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
6. Turn off the stove. Add cardamom and saffron. Decorate with dry fruits.
   

There are many variations of this. If you master the basic Halwa dish, then you can easily learn to make Gajar Halwa, Doodhi Halwa, Daalka Halwa, Badamka Halwa and other Halwa varieties.

Kheer

In north kheer and in South Payasam are the names given to a preparation similar to rice pudding. Instead of rice vermicelli, almonds , doodhi, dates can be used. When nothing else is added but milk is concentrated resulting dish is known as rabdi in hindi and Basundi in Marathi.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 Gallon of homogenized milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 tbsp Ghee
  
• Pistachio w/o salt, powdered or sliced
• Saffron 1/4 tsp
• Cardamom 5 pods, seeds powdered fresh
  

Directions :

1. In a big pot put ghee and fry washed and dried rice till it turns reddish brown
2. Add milk gradually with continuous stirring.
3. On medium heat with stirring reduce milk to about 2-3 quarts ( One can use condensed milk to shorten the time)
4. Add Pistachio and continue heating for 5-10 minutes
   
5. Add sugar, mix well and take off the heat
6. Add Saffron, Cardamom, pistachio and cover
7. This dish can be served hot or cold

There are many ways to modify the procedure, beauty is it comes out good always. This is the simplest delicacy.

Vanilla Cake Frosting

No cake is ready without frosting. There are many types of frosting, but here is one that works well with the cake described previously.

Perfect Butter Cream Frosting
This recipe is from the Baking cups package.

• 1 pound confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening( I prefer oil)
  
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat 1/2 lb sugar with the shortening and butter. Gradually add milk. Continue beating, and add the vanilla extract. Gradually add the remaining sugar until an appropriate consistency is achieved. The frosting is sufficient to cover 24 cupcakes or a 9"x13" cake.

Eggless Cake Recipe

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me more than 20 years ago.

Eggless Cake

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 cup milk powder
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 sticks (300gm or 1/2 lb) butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Greased and dusted rectangular pan (9x13 in)
  

1. Mix sugar and butter and beat until becomes fluffy in a bowl. Add vanilla extract.
   
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and milk powder in another bowl.
3. Add the flour mix and milk alternately to the butter sugar mix with upward motion ( not pressing down) to fluff and ensure that the batter is uniform.
   
4. Bake at 350 deg F ( about 30mins). To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
   

To make cup cakes, use the same batter mix and bake for about 20 minutes. The batter is enough for about 24 cup cakes.

To make the cake softer, add 1 cup sour cream instead of milk powder and half&half in place of milk.

For flavoring and texture, I usually add a pureed ripe banana and raisins (1/2 cup) and decrease the sugar to 1 and 1/2 cup. Other options include dates, grated apple, mushed peaches with walnuts or pecans.

Perfect Butter Cream Frosting:
This recipe is from Baking cups package

• 1 pound confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening( I prefer oil)
  
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat half the sugar with shortening and butter. Gradually add milk. Continue beating, add extract and gradually add remaining sugar until right consistency is reached. It is good enough for 24 cupcakes or 9"x13" cake.

Shortbread

Shortbread
by Jackie Redrupp

Ingredients (Makes about 6 dozen pieces):

• 1 lb. chilled butter
• 1 cup superfined sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
  
• 3/4 cup rice flour or arrowroot flour
• 5 cups all purpose flour (bleached)
• Blanched almonds split in half

Directions:

1. Dice chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in bowl. Add sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat mixture until it is light and fluffy.
2. Combine flours and add gradually to creamed mixture. The dough will be crumbly. Butter and lightly flour a large cookie sheet and a 10 or 12 inch pizza pan. Preheat oven to 325degF.
3. Spoon 1/3 of dough in to prepared pizza pan. Push, pat and roll until it is smooth and covers the pan uniformly. With a sharp knife cut circle in to 8 or 12 wedges and decorate with split almonds.
4. Put remaining 2/3 of dough on to cookie sheet. Push, pat and roll the dough until it covers the sheet uniformly. With a sharp knife , make 3x1 inch rectangles(fingers). Place a split almond at the center of each.
5. Prick the shortbread all over with the tines of a fork. Bake in the middle of preheated (325degF) oven for 20minutes or until just lightly colored.
6. Remove from the oven and immediately run sharp knife through all the divisions. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula transfer pieces to a cooling rack. Store in tightly covered containers.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
(Modified from recipe on Quaker Oats Box)

Ingredients (makes about 5 dozen):

• 1 cup butter or Vegetable oil
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water (may use juice instead)
• 1 cup milk powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups oats, uncooked
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degF.
2. Beat together butter, sugars, milk powder and vanilla until creamy.
   
3. Add combined remaining (oats, flour, soda, salt) ingredients and mix well.
   
4. Using rounded teaspoonfuls, drop cookie batter onto greased cookie sheet.
   
5. Bake at 350 degF for 12 to 15 minutes.
   

For variety add chopped nuts, raisins, chopped dates, chocolate chips or coconut. Add cinammon, apple pie spice mix to enhance flavor. Enjoy!