Jaggery and Mawa Stuffed Gujiyas and My New Air Fryer

When you are back from a holiday, apart from the happy memories, all you are left with is an empty wallet! It especially holds true for people like us (me and my hubby) who spend crazily while on holiday like there is no tomorrow!

Back home, we are now leading a routine life with a severe cut down on calories and an extensive exercise regime. However, the shopper in me remains alert 24/7 and while on my way to the Gym, I caught a glimpse of this super irresistible offer at my nearby mall for Mayer Air Fryers at just S$ 98!! Unbelievable, isn't it? I thought so too. Frankly, I never gave any serious thought about Air Fryers simply because of the exorbitant price as well as for the reason that we are not much into eating fried/deep fried food. But when you come across such an offer, however bankrupt you may be, you just cannot let it go. So I queued up, all the while googling to see the reviews of the product, and finally took home this wonder gadget. 

Sometimes, I think you should just let go of your planning and your calculations and do what your heart says. The heart is always right!!

Apart from all the successful trials of Aalu Tikkis and fries, the first official dish are these Gujiyas. Made on the ocassion of Karwachauth, these were the perfect dessert to satiate my soul after that difficult fast and I can enjoy it even more as these were oil-free. What better way to inaugurate that wonder gadget!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour/maida

3 tbsp ghee

100 ml milk (room temperature or warm; use more or less as required while kneading)

For the filling

1/3 cup dessicated coconut (you can use fresh coconut as well)

1/3 cup mix of dry fruits finely chopped (I used almonds, cashews, and raisins)

1/3 cup mawa crushed

1 tbsp ghee

Jaggery as per your taste (I used about 1/4 cup)

For the sugar syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

3-4 cardamom pods

1/2 tsp kewra essence

Few strands of saffron

Oil for frying (if not using Air Fryer)

Direction

Take the flour in a bowl and add the ghee. Start mixing it with your hands till it resembles bread crumbs. Now slowly add the milk and start kneading the dough to a smooth but stiff texture like a poori dough. It should not be too soft nor too tight else it will be difficult to roll and we do not want to use any additional flour while kneading. 

Cover and keep aside the dough for 1/2 an hour. 

Time to prepare the filling. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the coconut and fry till slightly browned and fragrant. If using fresh coconut, this may take a little longer. Now add the chopped dry fruits and fry till well roasted. Next add the jaggery and mix well till no lumps remain and jaggery is well melted. Finally, add the mawa/khoya and mix well till everything is well combined. Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Now take the dough and roll it with your hands into the shape of a rope. Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, make equal cuts of 12-13 parts. Take each part and roll it into a small and even ball. 

Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle not very thick nor thin. Place about 3 tsp of the filling or as much as you think is sufficient to comfortably seal the edges. Bring in the edges from all sides and give it a half-moon shape. Now roll in the edges securely sealing them with your hands. You can also do it either with a gujiya shaper or with the help of a fork. 

Place it on one side and continue with the rest. If you want to complete all the rolling first and then move on to fry, you may need to cover the shaped gujiyas with a damp cloth to avoid drying. 

Once done with rolling, start heating the oil/ghee for frying as well as prepare the syrup on the other side. The syrup should be ready to use by the time your first gujiya is out of the pan. Take all the ingredients listed under syrup in a deep bottom wide pan and bring it to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves completely, let it simmer for a few minutes and then take it off the flame. 

Drench the hot fried gujiyas into the hot sugar syrup for 3-5 minutes on all sides and take it out on a plate. Continue with the rest of the gujiyas. 

When using an Air Fryer, pre heat the fryer at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Then fry the gujiyas, 10 minutes each side or until golden. Drench them inmediately in the syrup and proceed with the rest of the process as stated above. Your lovely Jaggery and Mewa Gujiyas are ready to be served!! :)

 

Wholewheat Jaggery and Ginger Biscuits

I am dedicating this post to my dear Aunt, Ira Chakraborty or Ira Jethai as we lovingly call her. Jethai refers to Mom's elder sister in Assamese. She is no longer with us today but her recipes continue to remind us of her beautiful and loving ways of showing her love for us through her awesome yet simple dishes she used to cook for us whenever we used to visit her. 

A very soft spoken lady, she was the eldest of the family and I used to hear it from Mom how she used to be the strict guardian when it came to protecting and disciplining her siblings. It has been almost 2 years now and while we are busy with our routine lives, her memories and thoughts continue to linger in our minds. The recipe for these biscuits were recently found by one of her daughters, who made them and then shared the recipe with me. The only change I made was with the flour and the kind of sugar used in the recipe. The cookies are deliciously crunchy and healthy and leaves me with fond memories of her everytime I take a bite with my cuppa!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup (150 gms) wholewheat flour

1/4 cup (50 gms) wheat germ (optional; can be replaced with equal quantity wholewheat flour)

1/2 cup (100 gms) butter

1/2 cup (100 gms) brown sugar (you can reduce the quantity if you want as per your taste)

1/2 cup jaggery grated

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

Note: If you are using all cup measurements, please use it throughout and do not mix the metric. If you use cup measurements for some and grams for other ingredients, you might end up with a imperfect batter/dough. 

Direction

Take the butter, sugar, jaggery, lime juice, and ginger powder in a bowl and melt it, either in the microwave or on stove top. If using the microwave, ensure that the jaggery is completely melted and no solids remain. Keep aside and let it cool. 

Now sift the flour with soda, baking powder, and salt. Take this in a bowl and add the wheat germ, if using. Now add the melted butter and jaggery mixture and start mixing the dough to a smooth lump. Ensure that the dough is not too dry nor too wet and the mixture just holds together. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take small portion of the dough in your hands and gently roll it between your palms and flatten it to about 1/4 inch thickness. Arrange the flattened dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the dough. Keep at least 1" space between the cookies as they expand while baking. 

Sprinkle some sugar on top and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes till the cookies are browned (not burnt) but still a little soft to touch. Do not bake the cookies till hard. You will end up with rock hard cookies. 

Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before storing in air tight jars. 

Launji--Sweet and Sour Raw Mango Chutney

There was a time when my mother would religiously watch the cookery shows telecast on national television and while she would be busy writing the recipes in her diary as fast as she could, I had the duty of prompting her and keep an alert eye in case she missed something. Times have now changed and while you still have cookery shows on TV, you may as well record the show and watch at your own ease later on. Also, the Internet has made every recipe so easily available that most people now hardly need to wait for a cookery show to cook something new. However, the charm of noting down new recipes in a jiffy while the show is still on is something incomparable to modern day technology. Coming to today's recipe, I had bought some ripe Thai mangoes earlier in the day for my baby and when I cut it, it turned out completely raw. While I was just thinking of making it into a chutney, this recipe just pops out in one of the food forums I have subscribed to. I immediately got onto the job and what super yummy it turned out! I could not even stop myself from licking the hot wok clean!

Ingredients

2 big raw mangoes or 3 medium ones

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2 whole red chillies

A pinch of heeng 

1 tsp freshly roasted saunf powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp freshly roasted cumin powder

1/4 cup jaggery or as per taste

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil or any other oil

Direction

Wash and peel the mangoes. Cut into thin strips and keep aside. In a pan, heat the oil and add the heeng, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf, and whole red chillies. Then add the mangoes and let it simmer for some time till slightly wilted. Add the turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, and saunf powder. Mix well. Now add the jaggery and cover and cook on a low flame till the jaggery is melted and forms a thick sauce. Check the seasoning for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and adjust accordingly. Lastly, add the roasted cumin powder and remove from heat. Enjoy your yummy chutney with a variety of dishes or just keep licking it through the day as I have been doing! 

                                     

Ghilla Pitha (Deep Fried Rice Flour Cakes)

I belong to the beautiful state of Assam in the northeast India. In Assam, apart from the other festivals like Diwali and Durga Puja, we have three major festivals- Magh Bihu (or Harvest festival) celebrated in the month of January, Bohag Bihu (or Spring festival) celebrated in the month of April, and Kati Bihu (or Autumn festival) celebrated in the month of September. Each Bihu has its own significance and bring with it loads of fun and celebration. While Bohag bihu is the one which is celebrated in the most pompous manner, Magh Bihu has its own charm. The new rice would be harvested at this time and the farmers would be thanking God for a good harvest and celebrate with a grand feast. The speciality of this wintery feast is that the food is cooked on a bonfire and all the family members and friends would sit together and chat and cook up a delicious meal for all. In the morning, they would make delicacies called "pitha" and offer it to fire god and pray for a good year ahead. They would bathe their cows and buffaloes with raw turmeric and "maah" (black gram) and take blessings of their elders for a happy and fulfilling new year. I have so many childhood memories of this bihu and its celebrations that it feels like just yesterday when I was a kid and would happily enjoy all the food prepared by Maa. Now that I am miles away from my family, I have a few friends here with whom I hope to recreate some Bihu memories for the future.

Ingredients

2 cups Rice flour

1/4 cup plain flour

1/2 cup jaggery, grated or mashed with hands

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp orange rind

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 cup water

Mustard oil for frying

Direction

Take a deep bottomed dish and add all the ingredients except water and jaggery. Now add the jaggery and add very little water at a time until a smooth batter is formed similar to the consistency of cake batter. If the batter is a little too thick, do not add more water as the jaggery would also be releasing some water of its own. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover and keep aside for at least 5-6 hours or preferably overnight. When keeping overnight, you can keep it in the refrigerator and take it out about 1-2 hours prior to frying. 

Heat a small wok and add sufficient mustard oil. Take spoonfuls of the batter and fry till golden brown on both sides on a low flame. Drain the excess oil on paper towels and store in air tight containers and enjoy this northeastern delicacy with a hot cuppa.

                                          

                                    

                                          

Nolen Gurer Muffins (Date Palm Jaggery Muffins)

The first thing I did when I landed in Kolkata for my week long holiday recently was to ask my uncle to get me some good quality Nolen Gur to carry to Singapore. I had seen some superb recipes in the beginning of the winters in Kolkata through one of my fellow bloggers, Amrita Gill, and was quite excited to try them. However, I had to wait until my India trip and the moment I got back to Singapore, I fished out the recipe from her blog and my delicious muffins were ready in no time. I am so impressed and happy with the results that I will be making them again for my daughter's birthday as mini muffins to be given away to her playgroup friends. Thank you Amrita for the superb recipe!

Ingredients

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup nolen gur/date palm jaggery

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

Almond silvers for garnishing

Direction

In a bowl, take the softened butter and whisk. To this, add grated jaggery and mix further. You can use a food processor for easy and even mixing. Now add the egg and beat further. Sift the flour and baking powder and fold into the butter mixture. If you find the batter too thick, you can add 1-2 tbsp of milk. The batter, however, will not be as runny as normal cake batter. 

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degree celsius. Line a muffin tray with paper liners and add spoonfuls of the batter into the moulds. Gently sprinkle some almond silvers on top of the batter. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and golden on top. Store in air-tight containers and enjoy these blissful muffins with a hot cup of tea or coffee.