Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?

Crisp, salty, sweet, nutty, baked shankarpali, badam-kaju & ajwain-jeera biscuits
10/23/2016 10:31:36 PM vindhyadesai

During Deepavali/Diwali, making Shankarpali/Shakkarpare snacks is very common. They are deep fried biscuits which are crisp with both salty and sweet versions. How about trying baked versions of this famous snack? Baked shankarpali are easy to make and you can change the flavours as you want. Here I have used only butter whereas some people do use vegetable shortening (dalda) which does not contain very healthy fats hence I generally never use it.
These can be made in bulk and 1 cup of all purpose flour yields a lot of biscuits. Just store these biscuits in air tight containers and they last for a few days. The base for both versions is the same. I have illustrated the base for both biscuits and then extended them into their respective flavours.
The sweet version can also be made plain without any nuts but adding almonds-cashews gives them a nice texture and flavour. The salty ones can also be made plain or even ground black pepper can be added in place of ajwain-jeera. The choice is yours! Also try benne biscuit recipe. ... “Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?”

Baked Aloo Samosa | How to make baked aloo samosa? | Baked Samosa

Mouth-watering super tasty and healthy whole wheat baked samosas
10/17/2016 10:12:41 PM vindhyadesai

Dreaming of eating hot samosas on a rainy evening or a cold winter? Want to bite into one but worried about the calories. Then this is the recipe for you, of course it is not completely devoid of calories as it does have potatoes as the main ingredient for the filling and also a bit of butter smeared over the samosas. But that is hardly anything compared to the calories one gets from deep fried ones. Moreover the outer covering is made  entirely from  whole wheat (atta) which makes it that much more healthy and guilt free. Ditch those office samosa parties and make them at home.  Follow stepwise to see how to fold into samosas. I am not an expert in making perfect samosas, I have tried to illustrate easy ways of folding the samosas. Doing it a few times will give you confidence. These can even be deep fried in hot oil on medium temperature till golden and crisp.
Enjoy these hot samosas with homemade green and sweet chutneys. I had made these when I had made Amrkhand at the end of last winter. The turn to post these yummy samosas has only turned up now! Dear readers, click on the links for more baked goods and more potato recipes. Try more snacks like baked nippattu. ... “Baked Aloo Samosa | How to make baked aloo samosa? | Baked Samosa”

Apple Strudel – An Austrian speciality dessert

Flaky and crispy layers with juicy apples served with a homemade custard
08/20/2016 4:22:11 PM vindhyadesai

Thin puff pastry layers with crunch of sugar and juicy fragrant apples baked inside, served with custard and vanilla ice cream, sounds like a great combination for an indulgent dessert. This dessert is a speciality dish from Austria very famously made in one of its cities, Vienna. So here is Dish 6 from the World Cuisine Series from Austria. It is a pastry based dessert made with apples, puff pastry and other dry nuts. Strudel apparently is a word from German language. Traditionally, homemade strudel is a rolled pastry with fillings inside. The first time I tried it, I made it in the traditional way (few photos included from v1). The next time I tried it I made it into a cross between a French apple galette and an Austrian apple strudel, looks exotic and is super scrumptious. This is a very decadent dessert, go easy on the portions but enjoy it once in a while. ... “Apple Strudel – An Austrian speciality dessert”

Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins

Packed with a punch of jalapenos, with cheese, corn and spinach – Mexican style muffins
08/17/2016 9:53:27 PM vindhyadesai

I have a soft spot for anything savoury 🙂 Whenever I get an opportunity, I try to make savoury things to nibble on. This is Dish 4 of the World Cuisine Series and it is from Mexico. One of my favourite cuisines to prepare and of course to eat (gobble ’em all up). These are muffins with Mexican flavours, corn, jalapenos, cheese, what is not to like about them. Whenever I bake anything I try to make them all with whole wheat. Along with whole wheat flour, I have also used yellow cornmeal which is maize flour, easily available in stores/supermarkets. It gives a nice texture to the muffins, you also get to incorporate another grain and cornmeal is widely used in Mexican cuisine! The most important thing about muffins is not to overmix the batter/mixture which will make them chewy and hard. Mix and make muffins, enjoy them as a snack or for a quick nibble with a glass of milk in the morning. Also try other Mexican recipes! ... “Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins”

Dil Pasand | Tutti Frutti Stuffed Bread

Childhood favourite, colourful, fruity, dil pasand, tutti-frutti stuffed bread
07/31/2016 1:43:40 PM vindhyadesai

The most sought-after, after school treat of the 90’s. Dil Pasand along with Dil Kush were the two types of special stuffed breads available in bakeries. Old style Iyengar bakeries still do sell them. I love the tutti frutti pieces along with the coconut filling inside the bread. The outer cover is a soft and layered sweet milk bread. It tastes so good when eaten warm directly out of the oven. It truly is one of my ‘dil pasand’ (liked) snacks. There are quite a few steps to make this, plan your recipe well, I have given some pointers to make, baking dil pasand a joy! ... “Dil Pasand | Tutti Frutti Stuffed Bread”

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough | How to make pizza dough

Homemade whole wheat pizza dough
07/27/2016 6:49:38 PM vindhyadesai

Fancy eating a pizza? Feel like ordering one? What if you can make it at home with your own homemade dough, hand stretched into a pizza. Here’s the recipe for an easy homemade whole wheat pizza dough. It can also be shaped into a rectangular crust by hand stretching the dough. Italians sell pizza slices that are rectangular in shape and they love their crust thin. Pizza joints all over the world make thick crust mostly but authentic Italian pizzas are actually quite thin much like our rotis. Pizza recipes for Fig and Goat’s Cheese pizza, Pizza Margherita, Veg Supreme pizza are all lined up to be posted. Watch out for pizza recipes in FOI. ... “Whole Wheat Pizza Dough | How to make pizza dough”

Whole Wheat Bread | Whole Wheat Atta Bread | Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Wholesome fibrous homemade whole wheat bread
07/19/2016 8:07:16 PM vindhyadesai

Imagine eating your own hand-baked bread toasted with butter and smeared with jam. The feeling is out of the world because you get to eat the fruits of your labour or should I say bread 🙂 I have added milk powder to this recipe, after I started adding milk powder to my baked goods like baked nippattu, I feel they turn out tastier. Adding milk powder to bread is also recommended by other food bloggers like ‘Sharmis passions’. Yogurt, is another ingredient I add to cakes, muffins and breads. A well received recipe from Veg Recipes of India also recommends adding yogurt to bread. It is tried and tested by many people.
Try baking bread at home, two things are for sure, your house will smell like the aroma of a bakery, all warm and toasty and two, you will once get to eat bread and like it like never before. I also have a recipe to post for whole wheat bread made with active dry yeast. For this recipe, make sure to use ‘easy-bake’ yeast now readily available in supermarkets. Free from preservatives, no unnecessary additives and no unhealthy oils like palm oil. Enjoy baked bread with jam or make toasties or sandwiches. Choices with bread are endless! ... “Whole Wheat Bread | Whole Wheat Atta Bread | Homemade Whole Wheat Bread”

Eggless Banana Bread | Eggless Banana Loaf

Rich and fruity banana loaf, tastes best toasted lightly
06/10/2016 7:33:02 PM vindhyadesai

Banana bread or banana loaf makes for a nice breakfast. It is fruity, lightly spiced with cinnamon and wal-nutty. You can make it ahead of time. It stores well for 2 days at room temperature or 3-4 days when refrigerated. It has a nice deep colour from the brown or muscavado sugar. I make it with wheat flour(atta) and tastes better if it is toasted with butter. The key to a good loaf of banana bread is to use ripe bananas which makes the bread moist. Do not over mix the batter especially because wheat flour makes a slightly denser and chewy crumb. ... “Eggless Banana Bread | Eggless Banana Loaf”

Baked Nippattu

Crisp savoury bakery style crackers to enjoy with a hot cup of tea/coffee
05/31/2016 10:26:34 PM vindhyadesai

Crispy and spicy nippattu from a local Iyengar bakery with hot South Indian filter coffee(kaapi) is one of the best snacks ever. Baked nippattu turn out to be really crisp and infact that is how they make them in bakeries. Nippattu can be made plain or finely chopped onions can be added which give an extra crunch. I have made them both here and both taste very good. The most important step is to add correct amount of ghee and butter, making the dough with warm water. I have added milk powder which adds rounded flavours to this recipe as suggested from another food blogger smithakalluraya. Simple ingredients turn into a tasty snack. These can be stored for quite a few days in an air tight container if they last that long from hungry mouths and prying eyes:) ... “Baked Nippattu”